


Metacognition

by manic_intent



Series: Lesson Plan [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, M/M, Mutual Pining, NOTE: THIS FIC WILL BE MOSTLY T-RATED, Pre-Canon, That pre-game story where Kabu decides to go back to Hoenn for a trip, and Raihan sneaks along, ruined orgasm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:34:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 45,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21741532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/manic_intent/pseuds/manic_intent
Summary: Raihan sat on the lid of the toilet and waited, flicking through news and social feeds until the muffled blasts of the ship’s horns filtered through. To be safe, he waited a bit longer until the ship was on its way. Raihan let himself out of the stall—and froze. Kabu was leaning against the sinks, his arms folded over his chest.“Oh uh, hey, Kabu. Fancy seeing you here,” Raihan said brightly.Kabu exhaled. “Wash your hands. Come with me.”
Relationships: Kabu/Raihan
Series: Lesson Plan [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1567051
Comments: 136
Kudos: 474





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> You'd have to read Lesson Plan first for this story to make sense. 
> 
> I’ve been playing Pokémon since Red and Blue, and I love the games. They’re so surreal when you think about it, though. As to Raihan not naming his Pokémon in my fics: aha I don’t name my Pokémon myself, I just collect to build up a strong/cool team. Again, as a disclaimer: I don't play competitive Pokémon. Spoilers for the game just in case:
> 
> s
> 
> p
> 
> o
> 
> i
> 
> l
> 
> e
> 
> r
> 
> s

Raihan tended to feel underdressed out of his toothed hoodie and orange headband. It wasn’t usually worth the effort: changing his clothes didn’t do much to help him blend in. With his height, Raihan often towered over any crowd. Good thing his quarry was distracted. Tucked behind a stack of crates, Raihan watched as Kabu boarded the steamship, his eyes hidden under a black felt hat, hands stuffed into his pockets. 

“Raihan,” Leon hissed beside him, peering out from behind the crates. “If you want to do something, it’s now or never!” 

“Shut up and stay down.” Raihan grabbed Leon by the shoulder and shoved him out of sight. “You’re not helping. Bloody hell, why are you even here?” 

“Because you said you had a bad feeling? And you’re right? And Kabu is leaving in _disguise_ and what has even happened? Did someone die? Worse? Get hurt?” 

“What even is with that logic?” Raihan pressed a palm over his face. “Just. Go away, Leon. Please don’t help; you’d make things worse… Wait. Maybe you _can_ help.”

“Sure. Whatever you need,” Leon said, patting Raihan on the back. That was one reason why they were still best friends, annoying as Leon could be sometimes. He could be dependable when it counted.

“I’m going to try and sneak onto that ship. Cover for me, OK?” 

Leon looked panicky. “You mean. Lie? To Milo and Nessa and Piers… to your mum?”

“I’m sure you’d think of something.” 

“But I… but… all right. I’ll think of something.” Leon flashed Raihan two thumbs up. “Do what you need to do.” 

Raihan snuck over to the next set of crates. The sailor at the bottom of the gangplank was checking passes before letting passengers up onto the ship. Raihan had quietly tried to buy a pass earlier, but the ship was fully booked, and no one had been willing to sell their ticket. He could summon Gyarados to carry him over to the ship, but that was hardly going to be unnoticeable. 

While he was thinking the problem over, a shriek made him duck down out of sight. “It’s the Champion!” someone squealed. The crowd of people at the docks _oohed_ and surged away from the ship toward the harbourmaster’s office, where a familiar Charizard blew out a showy plume of fire. Raihan peeked out. The sailor at the gangway hurried over to the excited crowd. 

“Thanks, Leon,” Raihan whispered. He darted up the ship, pulling his cap down over his eyes. Passengers were pushing against each other for a better look off the side of the ship. Raihan slipped through the crowd, looking for the closest bathroom and shutting himself in a stall. His Rotom buzzed. 

**Leon:** u gd?  
**Raihan:** im in  
**Raihan:** i owe u one  
**Leon:** dont worry abt it  
**Leon:** gl  
**Leon:** i’ll cover for u here

Raihan sat on the lid of the toilet and waited, flicking through news and social feeds until the muffled blasts of the ship’s horns filtered through. To be safe, he waited a bit longer until the ship was on its way. Raihan let himself out of the stall—and froze. Kabu was leaning against the sinks, his arms folded over his chest. 

“Oh uh, hey, Kabu. Fancy seeing you here,” Raihan said brightly. 

Kabu exhaled. “Wash your hands. Come with me.” 

“Where are we going?” Raihan asked, turning on the tap. 

“You and Leon are the least subtle people I know. I presume that noisy Charizard display on the docks was a feint to help you stow away aboard the ship?” 

“Charizard what?” Raihan said, as innocently as he could.

“I should report you to the Captain, except that I don’t think anyone here is equipped to remove you if you don’t want to be removed, including me,” Kabu said, with a pointed glance at the pokéballs on Raihan’s belt. “Come. We can’t talk here.” 

Kabu had booked a modest cabin on a lower deck. There was a view of the sea and the receding Galar coastline through the window. Raihan pressed himself to the glass, fascinated. Wyndon City still loomed large beyond its port, its battle tower rising high into the sky beside the slow-turning Ferris wheel and the clock tower. Other ships littered the sea in a hundred colours and shapes, pennants of white surf drifting behind them as they kept a respectful distance from the wild Gyarados near the mouth of the port. A flock of Wingulls spun gracefully between ships, hoping for fish. 

“First time out of Galar?” Kabu asked behind him. 

“Yeah.” After Raihan had lost to Leon in the finals, the then-Dragon Gym leader had taken him on to groom him to become her successor. Raihan had been too busy since even to imagine leaving the country. He looked away from the glass reluctantly as Kabu was stowing his bag under the bed. “Where are we going?” Raihan asked. 

Kabu shook his head wearily. “Why are you following me?” 

“You’ve been acting kinda weird since our last match. I went to Motostoke Gym, and you weren’t there, but your trainers were, and they said you’d taken indefinite leave…” Raihan trailed off awkwardly. He hadn’t meant to snitch on Kabu’s trainers. Oops. 

“I wasn’t exactly—never mind.” Kabu rubbed slowly at his temple. “You… I can’t believe you. The ship will make port at an island in a couple of days. Charter a ride back to Galar from there.” 

Raihan plopped down on the bed and folded his arms under his head. “But you’d be staying on the ship.” 

“Yes.” Kabu frowned at him. “I’m not leaving Galar forever, or whatever you think I’m doing. I’m… on vacation.”

“I don’t think you’ve ever gone on a vacation. Like, ever.” 

“Then it’s about time, isn’t it?” 

“Riiight,” Raihan drawled, rolling onto his flank. “If you’re in trouble or something—”

“I’m not,” Kabu said. 

“So what’s with the sneaking around? You’re allowed to take a vacation. Opal takes a sabbatical every three months, and Nessa closes her gym for a month over her birthday. You could’ve made it official.” When Kabu was silent, Raihan raised a finger. “I don’t think you’re running away from something, because that’s not like you. You don’t do vacations—you rarely attend the gym leader catch-ups as it is because you think it’s a waste of time. My guess is, some urgent personal business came up that’s maybe dangerous, given how your trainers got nervous and ratted you out.” 

“You can be surprisingly perceptive at the worst of times,” Kabu said, looking over at the window. “Annoyingly so.” 

“If you’re taking a steamship, my second guess is: whatever this business of yours is, it’s in Hoenn. Where you were from. Right?” Raihan whooped as Kabu reluctantly inclined his head. “ _Awesome_. I’ll help. I’ve always wanted to visit Hoenn.” 

“You? You’re going home when the ship next makes port.” 

“Make me,” Raihan said, grinning and baring his teeth. “You only beat me the last time because your Talonflame got in a lucky critical when it counted. I’ve made a few changes since. We both know I’m going to win next time.” 

Kabu’s face was unreadable. “Yes. It’s only a matter of time. You’re talented and motivated. With practice and experience, you’ll only get stronger. Stronger than me.” 

There was a weird flatness to Kabu’s tone. Raihan sat up, unsettled. “Kabu… are you mad at me?” 

Kabu let out a short laugh. He walked over to the view, folding his hands behind his back as he looked out. Raihan waited, but when Kabu didn’t answer, he got to his feet and tucked his arms around Kabu’s waist, resting his chin on Kabu’s head. Kabu braced for his weight and loosed his arms to his sides but otherwise didn’t budge, and this— “This is nice,” Raihan said. Kabu was a sturdy, warm presence in his arms. 

Some of the tension bled out of Kabu’s shoulders. He petted Raihan’s knuckles but didn’t lean into the embrace. “You’re unmanageable,” Kabu said. He sounded wry. 

“Yeah, I hear that all the time. From my mum.” Raihan kissed the tips of Kabu’s ears playfully. “This not-vacation is going to be fun. We’re both usually so busy; we don’t get much time to relax. How long does it take to get to Hoenn?”

“Long enough that I know you’re going to go stir crazy on the ship.” 

“Oh, I think I know of a way to keep myself occupied,” Raihan said, kissing the back of Kabu’s head as he rubbed himself invitingly against Kabu’s arse. Kabu chuckled and shook his head again, though he tipped up his chin and pulled Raihan over for a kiss.

Raihan leaned into it eagerly, purring as he pressed Kabu down over the bed. They kicked off shoes and hauled at each other’s coats, scattering hats impatiently over the floor. Raihan groaned as Kabu pressed a knee between his thighs, tugging off Kabu’s shirt to run greedy fingers over scarred muscle. He’d long memorised all the marks: the map of old wounds that told the story of Kabu’s life and who he was. Burn scars, claw wounds. Raihan bit down over Kabu’s shoulder, working in his teeth as he dug his nails into Kabu’s back. The marks Raihan left always faded too quickly: he could only see Kabu maybe once a week due to conflicting work schedules. This trip was going to be _great_. 

“You look happy,” Kabu said, stroking his cheek as Raihan braced his weight on his elbows. 

“Why wouldn’t I be happy? I finally get to have you all to myself.” Raihan kissed Kabu playfully on the nose. 

“Don’t say things like that,” Kabu whispered. He kissed Raihan as Raihan frowned, tickling callused fingers down Raihan’s throat to his chest, tweaking the nipples through his shirt. Raihan moaned, tangling his legs with Kabu’s and settling down to bracket Kabu against the bed without crushing him, kissing him until warm fingers skated up to stroke his back until the strange tension went out of Kabu’s shoulders. They took their time with the rest of their clothes, taking care to leave their belts of pokéballs on a shelf.

Kabu ran his hand curiously through the thick spikes of Raihan’s unbound hair. “You look strange without a headband,” he said. 

“Is that good or bad?” Raihan licked a wet stripe up Kabu’s palm, grinning. 

“There’s no good or bad about it. You are the way you are.” Kabu’s gaze raked down Raihan’s bared body. “One of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met.” 

“Aww, you’re not so bad yourself, old man,” Raihan said, pretending to simper and beam as he propped his chin up on his palms. Kabu started to say something and pressed his lips into a thin line instead. Oops. Raihan hastily leaned in, begging for kisses. Kabu grudgingly relaxed, with a low huff. Yeah. No pissing off Kabu until at least Hoenn, when it’d be too late to kick him off the trip. 

Kabu rolled on top, his heavy cock compressed between them over Raihan’s belly, his intense face flushed with arousal. “Do you have supplies?” he asked. 

“Shit, sec.” Raihan groped over for his belt pouch. When he and Leon were kids, they’d once dared each other to drink a stash of Pokémon potions out of sheer asshat stupidity and had both ended up hospitalised. That being said, while none of the meds worked the same way on people, some of them were non-toxic. He held up a burn heal with a mischievous wink and Kabu snorted. 

“Very funny,” Kabu said. 

“It’s fine. I’ve used it before.”

“For something like this?” Kabu looked scandalised. 

“Sort of? Not exactly?” Before duelling Kabu, Raihan didn’t use burn heals that often. Sometimes he ran out of lotion in a pinch. 

“Put that away,” Kabu said, reaching for his belt. He had a small vial of cooking oil, and a quick search of bedside stowage turned up a first aid kit and a microfilm supply. “Are you clean?”

“Yeah,” Raihan said, wriggling eagerly under Kabu. He’d started getting into the habit since he’d never know when their schedules might align. 

“Good.” Praise from Kabu said like this—hushed and hungry and low—always made Raihan shiver and pant. He moaned as Kabu slid a slicked finger inside him, working it in to the knuckle with his usual unhurried grace. Begging, taunts, and trying to force the pace never worked, in Raihan’s experience so far. He sank back on the bed with a groan of frustration that made Kabu chuckle and press soft kisses over his throat. Two fingers. Kabu moaned something Raihan couldn’t catch as Raihan grabbed his hand and screwed himself down to the knuckles with a satisfied sigh. He didn’t use to have many preferences in bed. With Kabu, though—

“I’m going to take you apart,” Kabu whispered into Raihan’s ear as he worked him open. “Is that what you want?” 

Raihan grinned and tipped up his chin to bare his throat by way of an answer, bracing his hands against the headboard to show off the lean muscle built into his arms as he spread his legs wider. He knew how good he looked. Most people would fall over themselves to please him at this point, but Kabu—Kabu would look him over appreciatively but laugh and keep doing whatever he was planning on doing. 

Today, he didn’t laugh. Kabu kissed his way down, tracing the few scars Raihan wore with the tip of his tongue. Unsettled again, Raihan tried to lean up for a better look at Kabu’s face, only to drop his head back down onto the pillow with a moan as Kabu sucked the tip of Raihan’s cock into his mouth. Kabu slung an arm over Raihan’s belly to hold him down, wearing a tiny frown as he started to move, as slowly and as deliberately as he was working Raihan open. This was weird. Kabu usually had to be persuaded to suck cock—he hated the taste of anything bitter. 

“Hey,” Raihan said, between gasps. Kabu looked so _good_ like this, concentrating between his legs, and that mouth— “Lemme do that for you instead.” 

Kabu sniffed and ignored him, taking him deeper. He choked and tipped back as Raihan whimpered and jerked hard enough in Kabu’s grip to push another inch of himself into Kabu’s throat, settling down at a warning glance from Kabu. He was vaguely aware that he was groaning a string of nonsense curses, heels digging into the sheets. Raihan let out a yell of pleasure as the fingers probing inside him nudged against the right spot and got another glare for his trouble. He grabbed a pillow and buried his face in it, muffling another cry as Kabu started thrusting his fingers against that perfect spot. He was getting close, chasing the brink, his hips pushing against Kabu’s grip, cock starting to pulse in that tight heat—

Kabu pulled off him. Raihan let out a shocked yelp as he started to come anyway, pumping over his belly. There was none of the usual sense of satiation he got after release, only a confused, nervous frustration that had him trembling as Kabu shifted up to kiss him. “Arsehole,” Raihan muttered in a shaky voice as Kabu chuckled, swiping his already slicked fingers through the mess and stroking them back inside him. 

“You needed to be taught a lesson.”

“So you _are_ mad at me.” 

Kabu hummed instead of answering, his tender, lingering kiss confusing Raihan all over again. “Turn over,” Kabu said, rolling a microfilm over his cock. 

Raihan obeyed, twisting onto his belly. A pillow was pushed under his hips. He buried another moan into the one he clutched as Kabu pressed inside him, slow and steady, breathing hotly against his shoulders. Raihan’s limp cock twitched against the pillow, trying to get hard again as Kabu carefully settled in to the hilt. Warm fingers closed over his hips and held him still as Kabu waited for Raihan’s body to ease up around him, ignoring his whining and squirming. Once Kabu felt Raihan was ready, he moved in slow, powerful thrusts, aiming to please. Kabu was always so quiet like this, with his tiny gasps being the only audible signs of his pleasure. It didn’t take long for Raihan's cock to get back up to speed as he angled his hips up to take Kabu deeper, clawing against the bed as he keened for more. Kabu didn’t remind him to be quiet, but he didn’t speed up either. 

Raihan knew perfectly well that Kabu could outlast him like this, that this would go for as long as Kabu wanted it to go. Didn’t mean he couldn’t cheat. He clenched down and laughed as Kabu hissed. “C’mon,” Raihan gasped. “Harder.” 

“When I’m ready, and not before,” Kabu said. He kissed Raihan over the arch of his spine as Raihan groaned.

#

Raihan woke up pleasantly achy, yawning as he stretched over the pillows. In the corner of the cabin, Kabu looked up from the book he was reading, his Talonflame Kōjin roosting over his lap. “Get cleaned up,” Kabu said, turning back to his book. “It’s almost time for dinner. I spoke to the ship captain, and he’s going to make an exception for you. Stowaways aren’t normally upgraded to full passengers, but as it turns out, he’s a fan of yours.”

“Oh, right,” Raihan said, then, “Wow.” He stared at Kabu.

“What?” Kabu looked up again. 

“You’re wearing _glasses_.” The rectangular, black-framed glasses sat low on Kabu’s nose. Raihan’s cock twitched against his thigh under the sheets.

“I need them to read,” Kabu said, looking confused as Raihan uncurled from the bed and slunk over. He straightened up as he belatedly recognised the look on Raihan’s face for what it was. “No. Oh no. You’re going to shower.” 

“Damn, you’re sexy,” Raihan said, leaning in for a kiss—and freezing as Kōjin let out a warning hiss. 

“Shower and get dressed,” Kabu said, amused. “Your clothes are over there.” He pointed at a neatly folded heap on the other armchair. Pouting, Raihan obeyed. 

“I thought the ship was full,” Raihan said as he washed in the cramped shower facility. 

“It is. I told him you were going to take the couch.” Kabu’s voice sounded muted through the spray. 

“How’d you explain away us sharing a room?” 

“I let him think we were off to Hoenn on secret gym business,” Kabu said. That didn’t exactly explain why Raihan had snuck on the ship instead of buying a ticket ahead of time, but that was Kabu’s business. 

The captain had organised the use of a private dining room for them both—far too big for two, but it did mean that Raihan could let Flygon out to stretch her wings. The room was probably too small for the rest of his team. Kabu had done the same—Kōjin was perched on a chair, but the rest of his team stayed sealed as the food was served by pointedly incurious staff. Raihan had opted for a burger, its tasty patty layered under crisp vegetables, pickles, silky-smooth tangy sauce and toasted brioche buns. Kabu was having strange greenish noodles on ice that he dipped in soy sauce with shards of dried seaweed. 

As Raihan stared, Kabu said, “Soba noodles. Want to try some?”

“There were pages of stuff available on that menu, and you order that?” Raihan said, muffled from the burger he was stuffing his face with. 

“I appreciate simplicity,” Kabu said, twirling the noodles into a neat bundle before dipping.

“Restraint. Control,” Raihan said, mimicking Kabu’s grave voice. 

“Just so,” Kabu said, cracking a faint, wry smile. Flygon cheeped as she waddled over to sniff at the soba noodles, and Kabu tossed her a piece of ice that she snapped up and crunched down. 

“Why is it that you get along with everyone on my team and I can’t get along with any of yours?” Raihan complained. None of Kabu’s Pokémon would take treats from him, even the Arcanine. Some were polite, like the Ninetales and the Infernape, but most of them stayed either neutral or borderline hostile. 

Kabu looked a little embarrassed. “They’re not as socialised as I’d like. Since I got into the unfortunate habit of hiding them, they trust my trainers and me but no one else.” 

“You don’t hide the Centiskorch, the Ninetales, or the Arcanine,” Raihan pointed out. 

“I suppose not. But they do think of themselves as part of my team, along with all the others. They all take their cues from Kōjin.” 

“Even your Heatran and Volcanion?” 

“Kōjin has been with me since the beginning, in Hoenn. They know that,” Kabu said. Kōjin chirped, hopping closer to groom Kabu’s hair affectionately. 

“You wouldn’t have to hide her in Hoenn,” Raihan said, trying to guess again at the root of Kabu’s weird mood. “She’ll like that.”

“Yes.” Kabu tensed up and turned his attention to his food, avoiding Raihan’s stare. 

Raihan had made it worse somehow. Frustrated, he said, “Look, people in Galar… we’ll understand. If you’d explain and be like, ‘oh, hey yeah, I do have a team from Hoenn, here it is, I’m just not going to use it because I don’t think it’s fair’.”

“That would make things complicated,” Kabu said. 

“Complicated, how? You don’t like fielding them?” That didn’t appear to be the case—Kabu always looked so much less buttoned-up during one of their private matches. Like he was relieved that he could finally let loose. 

“That isn’t the problem. I like my life as it is. In Motostoke Gym, third on the League. I don’t like being harassed for duels. I’d rather train with my staff.” 

Was that what it is? “Kabu, if you don’t like me pestering you for matches, just say so.” 

Kabu glanced up at him. “I don’t mind when it’s you.” 

The knot in Raihan’s belly eased. He grinned mischievously. “Oh? I’m the exception?” 

“I thought that’d been obvious for a while,” Kabu said. He picked at his food, distracted again. “There are other trainers on this ship and a duelling ground on the upper deck. You could pass the time challenging them.” 

“I don’t think anyone on this ship would be remotely as good as you. I’d rather have another match against your team if you brought them. We could ask the captain to clear the upper deck if you want privacy,” Raihan said. He was good at talking people into doing things that he wanted, especially if they were fans. 

“You’d win,” Kabu said, dipping noodles into sauce. “Your Dracovish with the Choice Scarf… and that Hydreigon of yours with Nasty Plot. Not to mention your newfound love of Stealth Rock.” 

“I treat losing as a learning experience,” Raihan said, wondering where this was going. 

“You enjoy duelling, though.” 

“I guess? My team and I, we’re competitive,” Raihan said. Flygon ambled back to his side and sat down with a fluting whistle. 

“It’s a strange world if you think about it,” Kabu said as Raihan polished off his burger. “It’s common for children to leave home with their favoured pet, out into a world where wild Pokémon often aggressively attack wandering humans. They fight each other for sport, shakedown each other for their pocket money. Then the most deadly of them come to stadiums to put their new friends through more pain for money and glory. Yet most people never complete the League.” 

“If you put it that way,” Raihan conceded, “I guess it sounds pretty weird.” 

“I’ve been to Ryme City, where battling Pokémon is considered barbaric and has been outlawed. It’s a very different place.” Kabu reached up to tickle his Talonflame under her chin. 

Raihan paused in the middle of drinking his milkshake. “Huh.” He couldn’t imagine that. A world without duels. “What do the Pokémon do? Are they just banned?”

“No. They live alongside their humans. Some roam free without partners. Most people have maybe one or two companion Pokémon. It’s not that difficult to imagine. Even in Galar, most people with companion Pokémon don’t engage in duels.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” Raihan said. Between bad trainers who misused their Pokémon and people who didn’t duel at all but cherished their Pokémon as a part of their family, Raihan knew what he preferred.

“Kōjin didn’t enjoy it there,” Kabu said as the Talonflame made a dark grumbling noise. “She knows pity when she sees it.” 

“Sounds like the two of you did a lot of travelling.” 

“We’ve been around,” Kabu said. He finished the last of his soba and dabbed his mouth clean. 

“Why did you settle in Galar? If you don’t mind me asking.” 

Kabu looked at him with some surprise. “You haven’t seen my interviews?”

“You always say the same thing. About how you like Galar and the friends you’ve made here and all that, but. You never mention why you just decided to stay here. Or do the League and become a Gym Leader.” Raihan had watched every Kabu interview he could tune into when he’d been a kid, but he hadn’t wondered about that bit until now. 

“As with much of my life, it was accidental,” Kabu said, after a pause. He got up from the table, and Kōjin hopped onto his shoulder. “I’m going to catch up on my reading. Explore the ship.” 

Raihan looked at Flygon once they were alone. “Did I make him mad again?” Raihan asked. Flygon’s eyes flickered as she chirped, tilting her head. “I know, right? People are way too complicated.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Refs:  
> https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/spoilers-monotype-generation-8-pre-release-discussion.3656152/
> 
> There was a discussion over whether Pokémon potions can, in fact, work on people, and I think the consensus was ‘no’, but :p for this fic I’d say they are, at least, non-toxic https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=309918


	2. Chapter 2

The island port city of Serenis was bisected by large canals of water that formed a wheel-like axel pattern through elegant white-bricked buildings with red rooftops. Clocktowers rose as graceful spires through the city, at the centre of which was an immense tree with a maze of tangled boughs, as big as Wyndon Tower. Raihan gawked at it as he followed Kabu off the ship to the docks, so amazed that he nearly forgot to take a selfie. 

Kabu eyed him with amusement as Raihan uploaded the best of his snaps to his Instasnap. “Won’t your fans think it’s strange that you’re not wearing your signature clothes?” Kabu asked.

“I’m on holiday. They’d be fine. Look—thirty likes already and climbing.” Raihan showed Kabu his Rotom phone, but Kabu gave it only a glance before looking back at the tree. 

“Stories say a legendary Pokémon sleeps within Serenis Oak. The foundations of the city are built on its roots, and if it ever wakes, the city will sink,” Kabu said. 

Raihan whistled. “Hope it has sweet dreams for a couple more centuries.” What kind of Pokémon would that be like? A massive wyrm, maybe, curled in the heart of the tree? Or perhaps the entire oak was actually a Pokémon, like an immense version of Sudowoodo? The first time he’d met a Bonsly, he’d thought it was an actual plant and had tried to pick it up—only to get bitten for his trouble. 

“Come. If you refuse to go home, we should get you some clothes and supplies,” Kabu said. He looked resigned as they joined the queue for water taxis. “After that, we should have lunch; then I’ll meet you back at the ship. Remember that it’ll leave by five latest.” 

“Why, where are you going? I said I’d help you,” Raihan said. 

“Off to meet some old friends. Don’t worry. I’m not going to run off onto another ship. There’s only one ocean liner that runs this particular route to Hoenn.” 

True. Raihan was about to ask Kabu about landmarks in Serenis when he belatedly realised what was weird about the water taxi platform: every taxi was a little boat painted in different colours, towed by a _Lapras_. Raihan leaned over the safety rail, gawking all over again. He’d never seen so many Lapras concentrated in one spot before. Some of the boats were towed by other water Pokémon—Raihan recognised a couple of Wailmers—but most were hitched to a Lapras and a handler. 

“Serenis is home to the world’s premier Lapras research and conservation facility,” Kabu said as they were motioned to a numbered booth. “They’re a very endangered species.” 

“Heard about that. Because of overhunting and fishing nets, right? It’s a real shame.” Raihan had once considered getting a Lapras for himself to round out his team—there was one that was occasionally sighted in the Wild Area south of Hammerlocke City. After he’d heard of the reason behind its rarity though, he’d decided to leave it to its own devices. 

“The facility welcomes visitors. You should take a look if you have the time.” A Lapras towing a red and white striped boat paddled over to their booth. A young woman in a red cap sat on its back, waving them over to the boat and asking for a destination. “Salizada Street,” Kabu said, and they were off. 

Raihan whooped as the Lapras pulled out into the great canal, angling his Rotom phone to take a video as they sped off over the water. He tried to get Kabu into the shot, but Kabu quickly ducked out of the frame, pulling his hat down over his eyes. Raihan leaned over the edge of the boat, running his hand through the water and laughing as a couple of Mantykes leapt out of the spray, flicking their blue antennae at him before flashing back into the water, their triangular blue and white bodies cutting through the current. 

“Why do you do that?” Kabu asked as they got off the boat at Salizada dock. He gestured at the Rotom phone in Raihan’s hands. “Place the entirety of your life online?” 

“I got into the habit early on,” Raihan said as he checked the video over. “When I first left with Leon to do the League, our mums were so worried—we used to get into the hairiest kind of trouble all the time, growing up. Leon’s not very good at keeping in touch, so I tried to document where we went and how we were doing. Put it all up on my feed so our friends and family could see that we were OK.” 

Kabu’s reserved expression softened. “I see.” 

“Let’s get a picture together,” Raihan suggested. The street they stood on was thick with tourists, all taking snaps before the colourful shop windows and the trimmed hedge-trees that lined the centre lane of the block, shaped into the silhouettes of popular Pokémon. “In front of that tree!” 

“I’m a very private person,” Kabu protested, though he allowed himself to be pulled over to the tree trimmed into the shape of a Dragonite. “You know about Dragonites? They’re not native to Galar.”

“Hey, just because I’ve never seen your Pokémon before doesn’t mean I’m completely ignorant of every non-Galar Pokémon,” Raihan said, looking up avidly at the tree. “Dragon _is_ my specialty. C’mon. One snap. Pleaaase. I have pictures with everyone but you. Even Opal. _Pleaaaase_.” 

“All right. If you keep it private.” Kabu stood stiffly under the tree, tensing up as Raihan draped himself over his shoulder and grinned as the Rotom snapped a picture. Relaxing, Kabu tried to pull him toward the shops. 

“One more for the books,” Raihan said, winking as he hauled Kabu over, hard enough that Kabu let out a soft yelp and fell flush against him. Raihan tipped Kabu’s head back and kissed him, curling his arm around the small of Kabu’s back as Kabu froze. 

“You…!” Kabu squirmed free with a glare, ears flushed in embarrassment. 

“Nobody knows who we are here,” Raihan said, with a nod at the crowd—everyone was too busy taking snaps of the city. No one had screamed his name and rushed over for selfies. They weren’t that far from Galar, but neither of them were wearing their usual clothes, and only some of the tourists looked like Galarians. 

Kabu exhaled, motioning Raihan toward the closest clothes shop, likely hoping to get things over and done with quickly. Showed what he knew. Raihan insisted on checking every shop on the street, occasionally trying on items, pretending to check himself in the mirror when he was really checking on Kabu. Kabu, who looked like he wasn’t interested, but whose little tells Raihan was learning to read. There was always a slight widening of his eyes whenever Raihan tried on a button-up shirt that he liked, or a slow sidelong glance over shorts that hugged Raihan’s arse. 

They were just past the lunch rush by the time Raihan finished up by selecting a messenger bag and a green bandana for his hair, but Kabu didn’t voice a word of complaint. They looked for all the world like a rich older guy out with his hot young thing, and Raihan said so as they sat down at a quiet cafe off the main thoroughfare. 

Kabu choked on his tea and started coughing. “You paid for your clothes,” Kabu said as Raihan snickered. 

Raihan grabbed Kabu’s hand and rubbed his cheek against the palm, putting on a wide-eyed look and an exaggerated pout. “Would you have paid if I’d asked you to buy them for me? Honey, I know you liked how I looked in those shorts.” 

Kabu jerked his hand away. “Don’t be ridiculous,” he said, looking away with a frown. 

“Okay, okay,” Raihan said, grinning even as he held his hands up placatingly. “I’ll stop now—hey!” A Wingull scythed by, grabbing one of his club sandwiches and scattering the rest as its wing smacked into Raihan’s face, arcing out of reach as Raihan swiped at it. The cafe staff rushed over, apologising profusely and offering to replace their sandwiches, then stared as Raihan and Kabu burst into laughter. Kabu was still chuckling as the new sandwiches were brought out. 

“That’s never happened to me here before,” Kabu said, as he took another sip of his tea.

“Doubt they’d have tried something like that with Kōjin watching over you.” Kabu’s Talonflame was hyper-protective. “Why isn’t she out and about?” 

“Serenis is a water city full of water Pokémon. Kōjin gets very aggressive in here. If I need a companion, I’d usually summon Yōko. She’s calmer.” 

The Ninetales. “Do you name all your Pokémon?”

Kabu nodded. “I don’t have many of them, so I might as well. You’ve seen them all.” 

“Really?” Raihan said, surprised. “You only have twelve Pokémon?” 

“I personally don’t see the point of collecting. I’ve been happy with my teams for years.” 

“You’ve got a great team,” Raihan said, grinning, “but I’m still going to beat you next time.” 

Kabu grew reserved again, narrowing his eyes as he sipped his tea. “Quite likely, yes.” 

“Aww, is that what’s upsetting you? C’mon, mate. You’re not the sort to mind losing.”

“I don’t,” Kabu said. He finished his tea and got up. “I’ll meet you back on the ship.” 

Raihan waited until Kabu had turned the corner before quietly activating a pokéball under the table. His Drakloak peeked up at him with a questioning chirp, the Dreepy on her head looking around excitedly as the knee-high ghost dragon peered around the cafe, floating a foot above the ground. Thank goodness the boxlink still worked. 

“We’re gonna play a little game, OK?” Raihan whispered. The Drakloak straightened up with a happy chirp. “Keep an eye on Kabu for me,” Raihan told her, tickling the Drakloak on her wide-finned head. “Bonus points if you stay out of sight. If he goes into a building and stays there, ask Dreepy to come and get me.” 

The Drakloak squeaked in acknowledgement and floated up to the closest roof, her blue and yellow body soon disappearing out of sight. Raihan finished his tea and sandwiches, then hired a water taxi to take his purchases back to Kabu’s room in the ship. Checking his phone, Raihan was trying to decide what to do next when a pair of Galarian kids screamed his name and rushed over, leaving their parents in the dust. Raihan put on his best smile and bent to greet them. No rest for the wicked.

#

The Drakloak perked up as Raihan found her lurking behind a flower bush, spinning in a happy circle and yapping in delight as Raihan dropped her Dreepy back on her head. The Dreepy snuggled down with a yawn, having spent all its energy locating Raihan and bringing him here.

“He’s in there?” Raihan asked, with a nod at the sail-like glass building beyond the flower garden. The Drakloak nodded vigorously, almost displacing the Dreepy. “Good work.” Raihan tickled her under her chin. “We’re gonna play another game, OK?” She squeaked, excited again. “It’s an advanced game of hide and seek. You’re going to help me find out what Kabu’s doing in there. But we’re both going to have to stay out of sight.” 

The Drakloak spun in another happy circle. Raihan grinned fondly at her and got up from the bush. Not for the first time, he wished Leon didn’t have a Dragapult in his team. Being Leon’s rival meant not using any Pokémon that was in Leon’s favourite roster—it’d look naff if he did. Though. Why did Leon have to have two dragon types in his line up—not even counting Charizard, which was technically fire/flying? It was annoying. 

Getting into the building didn’t turn out to be complicated. It was a large public library, with a few floors of reference books and a couple of floors dedicated to fiction. Study floors, a gallery floor… Raihan studied the map, trying to guess which level Kabu might have gone to. 

The Drakloak squeaked and hid behind a trash can. A couple of young women were walking past, hugging books to themselves. “Did you see that Ninetales on the roof?” said the tall girl with a ponytail. 

“Yeah! There aren’t many of them around. They’re _sooo_ cute,” said her green jacketed friend. 

“Its companion was kinda cute too,” said Ponytail wistfully. 

Green jacket giggled. “You and your silver fox obsession.” They wandered out of the building, laughing over a shared joke. 

Lucky. Raihan cut briskly through the library until he found a fire escape. He took the narrow stairs two at a time, his Drakloak warbling behind him in excitement as she floated at his heels. Once he got to the roof access, Raihan slowed to a stop. “You’re up, buddy,” he whispered to the ghost dragon. She nodded gravely at him and floated through the wall. Like some ghost Pokémon, Drakloaks could become intangible with an effort—Dragapults had a constantly semi-intangible tail. It made Raihan and his playful Drakloak the perfect prankster team.

He didn’t have long to wait. His Drakloak darted back in, vibrating with excitement and pointing her tail to the northeast. “Good job,” Raihan whispered. He petted her and let himself out of the door quietly, relieved to see that the emergency access was hidden from the rest of the roof by a couple of drink vending machines.

A garden adorned most of the roof, with banks of flowers and greenery divided by gravel-traced walkways and stone benches. It wasn’t as crowded as it was at street level, though there were tourists clumped by the rails, taking snaps of the city. Hidden behind a palm, Raihan picked out Kabu on a bench next to a stone fountain of a Lapras, talking quietly to a stranger in a blue dress with a Mudkip on her lap. Kabu’s Ninetales lay at his feet, watching the crowd. Damn. She’d probably notice Raihan if he tried to get any closer, and he was too far away to eavesdrop. 

The Drakloak tapped his knee. When Raihan looked down, she floated up to his pocket and pulled the Rotom from it, holding the phone in her mouth. “Great idea,” Raihan said, setting the Rotom to record sound. The Drakloak sank back down and darted out of sight behind another trash can, even as Raihan walked back casually to the vending machines.

When his Drakloak returned, Raihan took the phone and headed back down through the fire escape to the floor with quiet study rooms. He picked an empty private room and locked himself in it, settling on the chair with his Drakloak snuggling on his lap. 

“—back for a while,” Kabu said. The recording was a little muffled, and there was no video to speak of. 

“Maxie doesn’t forgive that easily,” said Blue Dress.

“Didn’t he disband the organisation after being defeated by the Champion?” Kabu asked. 

“Some things aren’t so easily undone. If you’re bent on going home, watch your back.” Brisk footsteps—the woman had walked away. The Drakloak had waited for a while in the silence before coming back. Raihan stroked her back absently as he deleted the video and sank into his chair. He tried searching public feeds for ‘Maxie’ but came up with a hundred different social media profiles, even when he filtered for the Hoenn region. 

Whatever it was, Raihan was right—Kabu _was_ in some kind of personal trouble. Raihan had been right to sneak onto the ship. He was in a better mood as he made his way slowly back. Kabu was already back in the room, reading on the armchair with his Centiskorch coiled around the chair and his feet, and he looked up as Raihan walked over and dropped a box of rice cracker biscuits onto his lap. 

“Saw it was from Hoenn, thought you might like it,” Raihan said. The shop he’d passed had trays of samples, and his Drakloak had swallowed two bowls before he’d managed to stop her. He’d bought the box by way of an apology. 

Kabu smiled, turning the pack over in his hands. “We’re already heading to Hoenn. But yes. They’re common in Hoenn.” He opened the box and tossed a pack to Raihan. 

“Why is it all individually wrapped? Isn’t that a bit of a waste?” Raihan plopped down on the bed, peeling the wrapper open. The rice cracker was salty and sweet, crunchy over his tongue. “It’s good. I’d like it more if it was saltier… Kabu?” 

Kabu had taken a small bite and was staring at the biscuit. He looked distracted—distant, even. He blinked and propped up his glasses as Raihan called his name, feeding the rest of his biscuit to the Centiskorch. “If you like snacks, you’d love Hoenn,” Kabu said, petting the Centiskorch on its head.

“Food tour of Hoenn with you as my guide? Sounds like a plan.” 

“I haven’t been back for a long time. I’m effectively a foreigner.” 

“Didn’t you have places you liked to go to when you were a kid? Or maybe your family could recommend stuff?” 

Kabu looked back at his book, turning a page. “I didn’t have that kind of childhood,” he said quietly. 

Raihan had put his foot in it again. Leon would be so proud. He scooted over to sit against the Centiskorch, folding his arms against the warm segments and over Raihan’s knee. The Centiskorch shifted against him, its legs curling inward in annoyance, but at least it didn’t try to bite him. “Want to talk about it?” Raihan asked. 

“Not particularly,” Kabu said. He turned another page. 

“I know you’re not actually reading that.” Raihan shifted up onto his knees, which brought him to face-level with Kabu. He kissed Kabu on the cheek and frowned as Kabu jerked back. “What?” 

“Why are you acting like this?” Kabu asked, narrow-eyed and wary. 

“Like what? What’s wrong with trying to kiss you?” Raihan said, mystified now. 

“We don’t know each other very well.”

“Excuse you,” Raihan said, even more puzzled, “but I’m pretty sure you just spent last night and a bit of this morning getting to know me really, really well.” 

That got Raihan a quelling stare. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

“I’ve known you for years,” Raihan pointed out. “We met a decade ago, even. When I challenged you to a gym fight as a kid.” 

“I keep trying to forget that.” 

Raihan splayed his hands over Kabu’s book, scooting over to face him. “Kabu. What’s going on? Tell me. Shouldn’t you be able to trust your boyfriend?”

Kabu stared at him. “What did you say?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did, in fact, get attacked by a seagull in Venice, which stole my sandwich aha. Mine. Mine. Mine. 
> 
> There was some discussion whether ghost pokemon can actually go through walls, and it went down to whether they have a "solid" body or not... but you can ride on Haunter etc on Pokemon Let's Go, so let's just ;o make it possible for every one to turn tangible or intangible if they want to... they're ghosts...


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be clear: I’ve never watched the Pokemon animes, I only like playing the games, of which I’ve only done Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Ruby, Sun, part of Let’s Go, and Sword. This fic will pretty much just be based on Sword, what little I can remember from the other games, and Bulbapedia so. Sorry if there are any weird inconsistencies.

Raihan sat on the edge of the safety rail on the upper deck, staring at the dark horizon, dotted by stars and the occasional light from another ship. He didn’t feel like being disturbed, even by fans, so he’d summoned his Hydreigon to keep him company. The three-headed blue and grey dragon was large and had a well-deserved reputation for being aggressive—its secondary heads glared and huffed loudly whenever anyone got close, clearing out a small bubble of privacy for Raihan. 

Hydreigon nudged his main head over Raihan’s lap with a low rumble, careful to angle his horns away from Raihan’s body. “I should try you against Leon,” Raihan said, petting his blunt snout. “Now that you’ve got Nasty Plot on top of Draco Meteor…” He trailed off with a sigh. Raihan might be 0-10 down against Leon, but he felt like he’d learned a lot in his private matches against Kabu. Enough to have a better chance against Leon, anyway. 

Usually, Raihan would be pumped about that. Whenever he thought he’d come up with a better team or had improved noticeably, he’d be pestering Leon for his schedule until Leon caved and met him at Hammerlocke for a fight. Now—the last that Raihan had heard from Leon was a thumbs-up emoji posted on the Serenis Canal video. Raihan hadn’t asked Leon for a match since he’d started battling Kabu. 

“I’m a dumbass,” Raihan said. Hydreigon made an incredulous sound of disbelief from his main head. “It’s true,” Raihan told him.

Hydreigon lifted his main head from Raihan’s lap, peering suspiciously at Raihan for a long moment, then angling his secondary heads over the rail to consult with them in low whistles. The main head and the leftmost head shook their snouts firmly, but the rightmost head nodded. Hissing, the main head snapped at the rightmost head, nearly knocking Raihan off the rail and into the sea as he lunged at the smaller snout. Raihan yelped as he grabbed at Hydreigon’s horns to steady himself. 

“Hey, hey. Settle down. Chill out.” Raihan petted the main head’s powerful neck. “Everyone’s entitled to an opinion. More than one opinion, in your case.” 

Hydreigon sniffed loudly from his left and main snouts, while his rightmost head let out a series of clicks and whistles. The other two heads glared until the rightmost head hastily ducked under Raihan’s arm with a whine. Raihan petted the snout as he stared at the sea. Back home, he’d summon Duraludon whenever he was feeling down. Lie against her steel flank until he’d cooled down and sorted himself out. The salt on the sea breeze wouldn’t be good for Duraludon’s skin, though. 

Raihan blew out another sigh and settled back against Hydreigon’s bulk. “I mean, what was I supposed to think?” he muttered. This months-long… thing… he had going with Kabu was probably the longest relationship that Raihan had ever had with anyone. It was notoriously hard for serious trainers to maintain romantic relationships with non-trainers. On top of that, Raihan was both a Gym Leader and a celebrity with a reputation. People who approached him either ended up not liking the spotlight or liking it far too much for his comfort. 

Hydreigon’s main and leftmost head whistled soothingly, but the rightmost head made a rude noise. “Yeah, you’re right,” Raihan said, tickling under the rightmost head’s chin. “I assumed. Then I made it worse because I’m a dumbass.” He knew Kabu wasn’t on the same wavelength as Raihan and the others on a lot of things, if only because of the age difference. Still, Kabu’s shock had hurt to see. Then Raihan’s attempt to laugh it off had made Kabu angry. 

_Did you just joke about something like that? Don’t you have any shame?_ Kabu had said, in an icy tone that Raihan had never heard before from the usually mild and self-effacing man. Raihan had ended up clumsily excusing himself and running to the upper deck to get some air. “Maybe he doesn’t actually even like me that much,” Raihan said.

That got an incredulous snort even from the rightmost head. The main head shot the rightmost head a now-look-what-you’ve-done stare and started furiously licking Raihan’s cheek. He laughed, pushing at its snout. “Hey… all right, stop, that’s enough.” Yeah, that wasn’t the case. Kabu had said so himself—Raihan was the exception to his dislike of duels. Besides, hard as Kabu was to parse normally, Raihan could read him easily enough when they were in bed. 

He couldn’t stay up here forever. Raihan plucked out his phone, wondering whether to message Leon or someone for advice. Leon would probably make things worse—he might try calling Kabu directly. Or—

“Hi? You’re Raihan, right? From Hammerlocke Gym in Galar?” 

Raihan turned, pressing a calming hand on Hydreigon’s central neck as he hissed. The young woman stepped back with a nervous smile, a Great Ball in her hand. Raihan forced a smile. “Hi. Yes, I am. Sorry, I’m just…” Raihan rubbed a hand over his face. He couldn’t escape what he was, even here. Interacting positively with fans was part of his job—most of Hammerlocke Gym’s revenue came from its viewership. Raihan hopped back over the rail. “What can I do for you?” 

“I was visiting my aunt in Galar. She’s a big fan of yours. We managed to catch one of your exhibition matches. You’re great,” the young woman said, with a bright smile that faded as Raihan stared blankly at her. “Sorry. I guess this isn’t a good time.” 

“No, no. It’s nothing. Thanks for coming. Thank your aunt too. Here—something to remember Galar by.” Raihan passed her one of the many signed League cards for fans that he had on hand and winked. 

“Oh! Thank you so much!” The young woman pocketed the card quickly. “I um, I like Dragon Pokémon too. I was hoping to catch a Dreepy or a Drakloak while I was in Galar.” 

“You’re a trainer?” Raihan asked. The young woman didn’t look like it—she had no belt brace of pokéballs, no bag full of supplies—but then again, he’d long learned not to judge. The strangest people out on the Routes often turned out to be trainers—whether they were salarymen or little kids in Pikachu onesies.

“Sort of. I never did any League. I’m just a bit of a collector. Uhm! I was wondering. Do you have a Drakloak? Sorry if this is really out of the blue.” 

“Yeah.” Raihan activated the pokéball from his belt, and Drakloak spun out with a happy chirp, staring curiously at the young woman. “She loves attention. Feel free to take a picture.” 

“Wow.” The young woman’s face lit up as she pressed her hands on her knees, bending for a closer look. “You’re cute. Hi! It’s nice to meet you. I’m Sammie. What’s her name?”

“She… ah, I haven’t thought of a good one yet,” Raihan said, coughing to cover the lie. He’d never felt the need to name his Pokémon. They didn’t care—most of them were dragons, after all. They were all sure of their place in the world, big or small. That’s why Raihan loved them. Once, he’d needed their certainty to move forward. To learn how to pick himself up again and laugh even after defeats and setbacks.

“This might be rather sudden, but I was wondering if you’d be willing to trade your Drakloak for my Dragonair.” Sammie held up the ball. 

A Dragonair! When Raihan had been a kid, he’d collected posters of dragon-type Pokémon, and Dragonair’s final evolution, Dragonite, had been his favourite. His mum had even gotten a distant relative to mail over a plushie from the Kanto Region for his sixth birthday. Raihan had always wanted a Dragonite—it was one of the best physical wallbreakers for a Dragon team. Besides, he’d never be able to use his Drakloak or the eventual evolution in his lineup, not while a Dragapult was still on Leon’s team. 

Raihan opened his mouth to agree and hesitated as his Drakloak let out a querying chirp, staring worriedly up at him. Dreepy huddled down over the Drakloak’s head, making itself look smaller. Guilt choked the words out of his throat. Shit. Maybe Kabu was a bigger influence on Raihan than he’d thought. Managing an awkward grin, Raihan said, “Thanks, but I’m good.”

“Okay.” Sammie looked a little disappointed, pocketing the pokéball. “If you change your mind, let me know. I’ll be around.” She took a few selfies with Raihan and the Drakloak and left, smiling. 

The Drakloak whistled in relief. Raihan went down on a knee, tickling her under her chin. “Sorry about that, buddy,” Raihan said as she purred. “I’m a bad person.” Behind him, Hydreigon’s main head’s rumble of disagreement was cut short by the nodding from his secondary heads. Raihan hastily patted Hydreigon on the flank as the main head snapped at the leftmost head. “Settle down, chill out. What is _with_ you today?” Hydreigon growled with two heads, snorting, but calmed down reluctantly under petting.

“Can’t hide up here forever,” Raihan said, straightening up. His Drakloak cheeped, and Hydreigon rumbled doubtfully. “Nah, I’m a big boy. I can handle it.” His Pokémon exchanged glances. The Drakloak floated up, tapping at the pokéball that contained his Duraludon. “What’s that supposed to mean? You worry too much. What’s he going to do, throw me off the ship?” He returned his Pokémon to their balls, rolled his shoulders, and headed down to the lower decks. 

It was late enough that the dinner service was already over. Raihan didn’t have much of an appetite anyway. As he crossed down to the lower deck, he slowed down as he passed one of the free cinemas on board. Raihan hesitated. Kabu usually had a very strict bedtime—he slept early and woke up early for training, and that hadn’t changed much aboard a ship. Feeling a little like a coward, Raihan snuck into the cinema and sat in the back row, sinking in his seat so he wouldn’t get recognised. The seat was cramped—he was too tall, and there wasn’t much legroom—but Raihan squirmed until he was semi-comfortable. Maybe Kabu would’ve cooled off by tomorrow.

#

Raihan let himself into the cabin as quietly as he could, tiptoeing into the room as the door slid closed behind him. He blinked. The room was still fully lit, and the bed hadn't been slept in. Soft snores were coming from the armchair, where Kabu had dozed off with his glasses on and his book on his lap. Raihan edged closer and yelped as Kōjin shrieked and dived at him from where she’d been hidden in the wardrobe.

“Kōjin, return!” Kōjin disappeared just before her talons made contact. Raihan looked up cautiously from the arms he’d thrown up over his face. Kabu’s book dropped from his lap as he got up, yawning and rubbing his eyes. “What time is it?” Kabu asked. 

“Near midnight. Were you here all this while? You didn’t eat?” 

“I went for dinner. You didn’t.” Kabu looked at him tiredly. “Raihan.” 

“Oh, that. Yeah. I was on the upper deck talking to people and lost track of time?” Raihan tried to sound flippant. “Then I caught a movie about a Sirfetch’d trying to find his leek. Very moving, though weirdly arthouse given the story premise. You didn’t have to wait up.” 

“Talking to people through your Hydreigon?” Kabu asked with a wry smile. 

Had Kabu come to the upper deck at some point? Raihan hadn’t noticed at all, and he’d told the Hydreigon to keep a lookout. “You’d be surprised. Some lady offered me a Dragonair for my Drakloak.” 

“Congratulations. A Dragonite would make a great addition to your team.” 

“Nah. I didn’t trade.” Raihan scratched at his jaw, looking away. “Didn’t feel right.” 

Kabu stared at him in silence, hands clenching and unclenching at his side. “Sit down,” he said, gesturing at a chair. “Please.” 

Raihan sat in an armchair, stretching out his legs. Kabu started to lean against the table, thought better of it, and leant over Raihan. He curled his hand gently against Raihan’s cheek and stared into his eyes. It took an effort not to press into his touch or look away. “What?” Raihan asked, glad that his voice stayed steady. 

“I hurt you earlier today. I’m sorry.” 

“Nah, it was nothing. A misunderstanding.” 

“Listen. Please.” Kabu dropped his hand, letting out a frustrated sound as he placed his palms on the armrests. “I’ve never been very good at this. Not like you.” 

“At what?” Raihan asked. 

“People.”

“Really? I see you doing just fine with fans and trainers.” 

“That’s different. That’s work. Everything else…” Kabu trailed off, looking away. “I live an ascetic life and prefer it. It’s simpler. With most people, I don’t feel the need for anything more. You’re the exception to that. To all of it. It’s been that way for some time.”

Raihan’s chest felt like it was collapsing in on itself and expanding all at once, making him dizzy. “Kabu…”

“I’m not finished. Given the difference in our ages, I was inclined not to say a word, even after you started pestering me for matches. Just. I don’t have any self-control where you’re concerned. It brings out a part of me that I’m not proud of. That I thought I’d buried a long time ago.” 

“I was starting to feel happy and now I’m not sure,” Raihan confessed, bewildered. 

Kabu tilted his head. “You’re never involved in a relationship for long. Or in a serious way. That’s in every profile that I’ve ever read about you.” 

“Ah… haha… well, I mean, people like us tend to be very busy?” 

“Milo and Nessa are in serious relationships, and Bea is married… but I’m getting sidetracked. Raihan, I’m sorry I snapped at you. I’ve been dealing with some personal matters and haven’t been in the best frame of mind, but that doesn’t excuse my behaviour. I overreacted to a joke and hurt you. I apologise. Please, forgive me.” 

Kabu’s voice had taken on that strange flatness again. “Okay so,” Raihan said cautiously, “promise me you’re not going to get mad or weird about this.” 

“About what?” 

“We’ve been seeing each other for a while so. I thought… now I don’t know what I thought.” 

“You become obsessed with people you can’t defeat. That’s evident so far from how you treat the very few trainers who manage to beat you—even if they never do manage to defeat the Champion in turn. And there’s Leon himself.” 

“Hang about, mate. You think Leon and I…? We’re friends. We’ve always been friends. He’s a little shit with no sense of direction and a flexible concept of time, but we grew up together, and that’s that. As to the trainers who beat me, well. Sure, I go drinking with some of them sometimes. Nothing wrong with that.” Raihan might’ve slept with a couple of them too, before he’d started seeing Kabu, but it was all in a bit of fun. Everyone understood that. 

“You challenge them repeatedly until you defeat them.” 

“Yeah, why not? Other than Leon, there’s no one else I know at that level who’d make my team work up much of a sweat. Other than you.” 

“I know your current team’s going to be stronger than mine. After you defeat me, what then?” 

“I’m always up for a match,” Raihan said, completely confused. “Wait. You think I’d get bored of you or something after I defeat you? Come _on_. We’ve been through this.” 

“There’s a difference between satisfying a curiosity and commitment. You don’t do lasting relationships. There’s nothing wrong with that, but that’s not what I want. To have some fun now and then and—”

“Hey.” Raihan clenched his hands tightly into Kabu’s shirt, dragging him closer until they were inches apart. “Call me a dumbass, but I meant it about the ‘boyfriend’ thing. Okay, it did just slip out, and I should’ve officially asked you out first, so this is arse backwards but. I kind of thought we were already dating? So. Let’s make it official.” 

Kabu stared solemnly at Raihan. “No.” 

“Just because I’ve never… look. I don’t just want to have ‘some fun now and then’ either. I’ve had a crush on you for ages. Hell, my first wet dream was about—”

“Thanks for sharing, but I didn’t need to know that,” Kabu cut in, his ears reddening. “That’s part of the problem. You think you know me, but you don’t. There’s a lot about my past that I’ve never mentioned to the Galarian press. Do you want to know why I settled in Galar? I was hoping to outrun it. All of it. That’s what I meant when I said that we barely know each other.” 

“So what,” Raihan said, growing angry despite himself, “you’re fine fucking me now and then, but the moment I ask you for something more it’s suddenly too much for you? Fuck _you_.” 

“That’s not what I said either.” 

“Sounds a hell of a lot like it to me, plus a massive serving of bullshit, what with trying to make it _my_ fault. You’re a right bastard; you know that?” 

Kabu narrowed his eyes. He jerked out of Raihan’s grip. “Tomorrow. After breakfast, upper deck. Bring the best of what you’ve got.” 

“What’s that going to prove?” 

“My point,” Kabu said. He was unreadable again. “Take the bed. I’ll be fine on the couch.” 

Bloody hell. It was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trading is so weird. I mean, I do it in the game because I like trying to fill out my pokedex / want to get Gengar etc, but it’s so bloodless. It’s like if I were to see some stranger’s cat and said: “hey, how about you give me that and I give you my hamster.” I only started to feel bad about my flippancy this year when I started trading in person with a friend who would whisper “Bye bye!” to her screen to her Pokémon when the transfer started…
> 
> Refs:  
> https://www.smogon.com/articles/monotype-dragon


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Veteran readers of my fics will already know this, but my stories don’t tend to have that much smut and also tend to end in 10-13 chapters ^^;; new readers beware.

Raihan got the Captain to close the upper deck, even though Kabu said that he didn’t care whether the match was private. The security measure probably wasn’t going to count for much. People were packed three deep against the glass-fronted section of the fin of the ship, a cluster of Rotom phones floating and spinning over their heads. Sailors pressed themselves against the ship’s bridge, jockeying for a better view next to the Captain. The attention didn’t amp Raihan up like it usually did. As he faced Kabu across the makeshift pitch, Raihan was briefly tempted to throw the match. Only briefly. There was no point: Kabu would know. Besides, Raihan had woken up in the mood to kick someone’s arse. 

He’d done it, too. The match had been a bit of a grim slog until Raihan took down the two Legendaries and Kabu’s annoying Volcarona. After that, it was a matter of mopping up what was left. He won. Four matches in and finally a victory, but for the first time in his life, a hard-fought win gave Raihan no pleasure. It didn’t help that Kabu congratulated him on the win in such a perfunctory way before heading for the Pokémon Center aboard the ship. Raihan got mobbed by waiting fans before he could chase Kabu down and have a proper word.

By the time Raihan got to the Pokémon Center to heal up his team, Kabu was long gone. It was a struggle to hide his frustration as he joked around with fans and posed for snaps. When that was over, it was pushing the lunch hour. Raihan opted to eat on the upper deck. After he had a couple of burgers, he lay on a deck chair with a beer and Flygon sprawled over his knees, checking his phone. Shit. Closed upper deck or not, snaps and videos of the match were already all over the net. As he checked through some of the comments, Leon pinged him.

 **Leon:** yo saw the match that was awesome  
**Leon:** grats on the win mate  
**Leon:** dracovish with a choice scarf, inspired  
**Leon:** n duraludon is a beast even w/o dynamax  
**Leon:** kabu did rly good tho  
**Leon:** i mean, monotype fire  
**Leon:** didnt think the fight wld be that close  
**Leon:** ur real quiet  
**Leon:** u there?  
**Leon:** u there??  
**Leon:** u there????  
**Raihan:** yeah  
**Raihan:** think i pissed kabu off again  
**Leon:** srsly  
**Leon:** y are u like this  
**Raihan:** man, he drives me crazy  
**Raihan:** not even in a good way  
**Raihan:** zz  
**Leon:** want me 2 talk 2 him  
**Raihan:** pls dont

“Hi.” 

Raihan looked up. It was the young woman with the Dragonair. Sammie or something, wasn’t it? She took a step back, and Raihan hastily wiped the scowl from his face. “Ah, sorry about that. Was talking to the Champion about stuff. Can I help you?” 

“I um, didn’t introduce myself fully before, because you’re here on vacation and I didn’t want to make it weird, but.”

“You’re a reporter,” Raihan said. 

Sammie blushed a little. “How did you guess?”

“I know the look.” Besides, it took a very particular sort of person to stare down a mantling Hydreigon for a chat. “Which paper?” 

“Hoenn Times. I usually do the restaurant beat, but your match with Kabu went viral, and I think I’m the only reporter on the ship, so my editor will probably kill me if I didn’t at least try to get an interview.” Sammie smiled in the warm, winning way that many people in her profession cultivated. 

Viral? Ouch. Intensive press and public relations training had been part of learning how to become a Galarian Gym Leader though, so Raihan pushed down his dismay and laughed. “I’m never going to say no to some free press. Sure. Hope everyone watching had fun or learned something. If anyone has questions about dragons or dragon match-ups, they know how to reach me.” 

“Many people expressed surprise over the Pokémon in Gym Leader Kabu’s team—none of them are native to Galar, and he’s never fielded any of them in any of his matches. Is this the first time you’ve faced his new team?” 

Raihan wished he’d talked to Kabu about what kind of story he’d wanted to front to the press. “Nope. First time I’ve won, though.” 

Shit. Sammie perked up, a Yamper hot on a scent. Her Rotom phone hovered higher next to her face to get a better angle on Raihan’s face as it continued recording. “First time? You’ve fought matches against Kabu’s secret team before?” 

“Sure.” 

“Why does Kabu keep this team in the wings? It’s a highly competitive line-up, more so than his usual team.” 

“You’d have to ask him.”

“Monotype fire teams aren’t a popular modern choice for various reasons, yet by your own words, Kabu’s beaten your mixed team with his before. Fans have noted that Kabu fields two legendaries to your none. Do you agree that it’s the reason why his team remains so competitive?”

“There’s nothing wrong with preferring monotype teams. Kabu’s Pokémon are great, sure, but more importantly, he’s an amazing trainer who puts in the work _and_ who has decades of experience,” Raihan said, annoyed on Kabu’s behalf despite himself. “He pretty much set up the fire gym in Galar by himself. I’ve learned a lot from him.” 

“As have we all. Have you ever considered fielding a monotype Dragon team?” 

“It’s not compulsory, so, no. Besides, my Sandaconda would get bored if he doesn’t get to come out to play now and then.” Raihan smiled winningly at Sammie, grateful for familiar ground. “He’d moult everywhere.” 

“I’m sure we can’t have that. While visiting Hoenn, do you plan on calling on any of the local gyms?” 

“Well,” Raihan said, scratching at his jaw, “if anyone’s up for a match, sure, but I know how busy gyms get. I don’t want to mess up anyone’s schedule. I’m just visiting Hoenn for fun.” He winked at Sammie’s Rotom. “Maybe I’d even pick up a Dratini.” 

They talked Dragon types for a while, and fluff topics like the kind of food he was looking forward to trying in Hoenn. When Sammie shut off her Rotom's recording, Raihan tried to hold in his relief. Sammie smiled wryly—she’d noticed. “It wasn’t that bad, was it?” 

Raihan ignored the question. “I’d like to see the transcript and the edited version of the interview before it’s uploaded,” he said. 

“Sure. We’ll get something to you soon.” Sammie made as if to get up from her deck chair. “Thanks for the interview. I hope you have fun in Hoenn, and good luck catching a Dratini.” 

“Hey.” Raihan lowered his voice, darting a glance around. “Can I talk to you off the record?” 

Sammie sat back down curiously, setting her Rotom to sleep and placing it on the deck chair next to her. “Of course.”

“You’re from Hoenn, right?”

“Born and raised.” 

Raihan was starting to regret this impulse, but he couldn’t help but ask, “Have you ever heard of someone called ‘Maxie’? Might have been head of an organisation or something? Something bad that was defeated by a Champion in Hoenn?” 

Sammie looked surprised. “Oh. You didn’t hear about that over in Galar? I guess it’s been a while. About seventeen years ago now, I think. There was a cult operating in Hoenn that wanted to radically expand the landmass in the world for the good of both humans and Pokémon. They called themselves Team Magma, and Maxie was their leader. They were trying to use a Groudon for some undisclosed experiment to that purpose. The then-Champion put a stop to all that, but never mentioned what happened to the Groudon, Magma, or Maxie. They all disappeared, as far as anyone could tell. Why do you ask?”

“Just checking,” Raihan said glibly. Wow. Exactly how much trouble was Kabu in? 

Sammie shot him a wry smile. “No offence, but you’re a terrible liar. Is Team Magma and Maxie back? Is that why you and Kabu are headed to Hoenn? The new Champion is young, but I’m sure she can handle it. Or did she ask for your help?” 

“No comment,” Raihan said, retreating to the safest answer against reporters. 

“Yet if that were the reason behind your trip, you wouldn’t have to ask _me_ about Maxie. Unless.” Sammie leaned forward, frowning as she studied him. “I’ve seen you battle before. In person and on video. You usually enjoy it—it’s obvious in your bearing and in that of your Pokémon. Today, it was missing. You look tired.” 

“I’m not used to sea voyages.” 

“Kabu is from Hoenn, isn’t he?”

“What if he is?” Shit. Sammie was getting very close to guessing at the root of Kabu’s business. That was the problem with talking to reporters. They were sharp. Raihan raised his eyes to the clouds, trying to think of a way to talk himself out of this one—and that was when he saw it. An oncoming speck, speeding closer. The clouds were disappearing around it as it cut through them, turning into steam. “What in the world?” Raihan breathed, getting to his feet and shading his eyes. 

Sammie jerked up, following his gaze. “It’s a… huge Pokémon?” 

It was coming closer. Raihan picked out his Rotom phone to take a zoomed-in snap, even as people on the deck of the ship started to notice and point. The photo only registered as a bright, vaguely bird-like spark. Raihan sent it to Sonia even as the bird spun through the clouds. 

**Sonia:** w t f  
**Sonia:** where r u  
**Sonia:** omg  
**Sonia:** wait y is it so big

Raihan was about to type in a pointed question to Sonia when Sammie screamed. The Pokémon was dropping out of the sky. It was huge—nearly the size of a Dynamaxed Pokémon, a long-necked bird with wings of flame and a red stone embedded in its breast that pulsed streaks of red around it into the bird’s flesh with each heartbeat. The air itself shimmered around it, wrung out by intense heat as it banked its wings, hovering before the ship. Fire began to grow in a curling coil before its gaping beak, and Raihan had just enough time to gasp, “Oh _hell_ ,” as the coil coalesced into a bright beam. 

The hyper beam struck the deck of the ship and—impossibly—tore through it, shearing through the steel hull and leaving a molten edge behind. The steam liner moaned, the deck shuddering under Raihan’s feet. Sammie toppled to the ground as the ship lurched to the right, and Raihan called Hydreigon on instinct. Hydreigon scooped Raihan onto his back, but as Raihan tried to turn him to grab Sammie, she cried, “Go! I’ll be fine!” 

Raihan nodded and patted Hydreigon’s flank. “Yeah, you see it too, buddy. C’mon.” Hydreigon grunted, flying them over people screaming as they scattered wildly over the deck. Raihan was probably too big and heavy to be a comfortable burden for Hydreigon, but the three-headed dragon was hissing in anticipation, unafraid and hungry for a fight. As Raihan drew closer, he called Gyarados to his side. 

“Hey!” Raihan yelled at the gigantic bird. “Over here!” 

The firebird twisted its head to stare at him and shrieked as Gyarados caught it in the belly with a column of water. It spun back in visible pain as Hydreigon and Gyarados roared their defiance. It rallied the panicking people below. Pulses and jets of water sizzled against the firebird from a cluster of summoned Pokémon on the deck as other trainers recovered from their shock and tried to help. Non-trainers were evacuating the area, supporting the wounded. Raihan grinned. This was like dealing with the dens in the Wild Areas of Galar. With enough people—

Searing hot air blasted Hydreigon back—he flared his wings, banking and flapping wildly to gain balance as Raihan nearly fell off. The firebird mantled its wings, gaining height with another shriek even as a bright pillar of light scythed down from the sky, piercing Gyarados right where it was. Gyarados screamed, twisting in the air as the solar beam cut it out of the air. It slammed onto the deck and shuddered as it was recalled to its ball. Hissing in triumph, the bird drew closer, fire and light beginning to swirl again before its beak. 

“ _Moltres_.” Kabu’s voice cut over the screams. He was standing at the other end of the deck, seated on the back of his Arcanine. He beckoned at the firebird, grim-faced. “Come. If you have a grudge, your grudge is with me.” 

Moltres keened its rage. It spun up into the sky above the ship and unfurled its wings. An intense blast of fire roared out at Kabu, splashing over the deck and setting the chairs alight. Horrified, Raihan’s stomach dropped right into his boots. No, there—Arcanine had lunged out of the way, barely dodging debris. Another pillar of light shot down from the sky, but at Kabu’s shout, Arcanine dodged the blast just in time. Frustrated, Moltres drew closer to the deck, right as Raihan finally realised what Kabu was trying to do. 

“Get over there,” Raihan said, patting Hydreigon’s flank. Hydreigon hissed and flew him over the rail, bearing up on Moltres’ left. “Now. _Pulse_.” 

As the dark aura rippling from Hydreigon washed over Moltres, it flinched, the whorl of fire before its beak guttering out as it shook its head with a frustrated cry. As it drifted down, close to the large white fin of the ship that sheltered the entrance down to the lower decks, Kabu’s Heatran crawled out from the shadows. It slammed its three-toed feet onto the floor, and a spike of stone shot out of the ground, striking the embedded stone on Moltres’ chest right in the centre. 

Moltres cried out. Embers fell from its wings as it tried to gain height, churning the air with its burning wings. The stone on its breast shattered with a loud crack. Raihan yelped as a shard tore past, gouging a hot line of pain over his arm. Hydreigon roared in alarm, retreating to a safe distance as Moltres fell. It grew smaller as it dropped, until it was half its former size as it landed awkwardly on the rail of the ship, spreading its flaming wings for balance and shuddering.

Kabu got off the Arcanine, walking closer with his hands held palms up. Moltres mantled its wings with a warning hiss, then tilted its head and studied Kabu as Kabu merely kept walking. Kabu spoke to it in a low murmur and it calmed down further, glancing behind Kabu at the Arcanine and the Heatran. It listened for a while, resettling its wings over its back and looking into Kabu’s eyes. Kabu bowed deeply to it. With a soft trill, Moltres shook itself out and leapt off the rail, rapidly gaining height and disappearing back into the clouds. Watching it go, Kabu sank onto his knees. 

“Kabu!” Raihan urged Hydreigon over. Dismounting, Raihan hurried to Kabu’s side. “Are you all right?” 

“I’m…” Kabu frowned, getting to his feet and grabbing Raihan’s sleeve. “You’re hurt.” 

"It's just a scratch." 

"You shouldn't—" The ship shuddered under them, throwing Kabu off balance. Raihan grabbed at the rail and got his free arm around Kabu, steadying them both. He looked over at the nose of the ship. Water Pokémon were trying to put out the flames alongside people with fire extinguishers. It wasn’t going to help much. The ship listed in the water, and it had gone still. 

“Ah, shit. It did a real number on the ship,” Raihan said. 

“Raihan.” Kabu squirmed, his ears pink. Raihan had pulled Kabu into a tight embrace by reflex. He let go, and Kabu stepped free, recalling Heatran and petting Arcanine as it padded over to sniff him over anxiously. “We don’t appear to be sinking, and we’re less than a day out from Serenis. The Captain should be able to call them for rescue.” 

“Hopefully nobody’s gotten seriously hurt.” Raihan looked curiously at Kabu. “What did you mean about a grudge? Is it going to be raining legendary fire Pokémon around you?” 

“We should help out,” Kabu said, turning away and getting back onto his Arcanine.

“Nope. You don’t get to change the subject.” Raihan darted over and grabbed Kabu’s wrist. The Arcanine growled at him, then glared at Hydreigon as the three-headed dragon snarled a warning. Kabu pressed his lips into a thin line, and Raihan relented. “Is it going to be back?”

“I don’t think so. We’ll talk later.” Kabu pulled away, petting his Arcanine’s flank. It bounded off across the deck. Hydreigon landed heavily, grumbling with two of his heads and making a rude sound with the third.

“Yeah, I know. He’s right, though. We should help out.” Raihan bent, picking up one of the cooling gemstone shards. It was dull in his hands, heavy and warm. 

Hydreigon growled at the sound of footsteps, and Raihan looked up to Sammie picking her way cautiously over. “What was that all about?” Sammie asked, wide-eyed. “Pokémon rampaging like that, getting that big… it’s like it was Dynamaxed. But there’s no Power Spot here, is there? We’re in the middle of the sea.”

“It wasn’t Dynamaxed. I know what that looks like.” Raihan passed Sammie the stone. “Seen this before?” 

She turned it over in her hands. “Never.” Sammie let out a shaky laugh. “Life’s not usually this exciting for me. I only do restaurants and food events.” 

“And the occasional celebrity interview?” Raihan looked back up at the clouds. Moltres was long gone, but he thought he could maybe pick out the furrow of steam that was left in its wake. “That’s probably why it attacked.”

Sammie looked horrified. “The interview? What?”

“No, no. The match on the upper deck. Maybe all the noise and flash caught its attention.” Or maybe whoever sent it realised where Kabu and Raihan were when the match went viral. 

Sammie hugged herself. “Giant Pokémon attacking ships… Good thing we’d be back in Serenis soon. I’d like to see it attack a city full of Lapras.”

“Won’t be a good thing. Kabu and I need to get to Hoenn.” 

“Good luck with all that. This ship is the only liner that runs this route at this time of year. You’re either going to have to hope there’d be an outgoing freighter in the coming weeks or…” Sammie trailed off, looking speculative. 

“Or?” Raihan prompted.

“Hoenn Times uses Pokémon to move reporters quickly to places with breaking news so we can get the scoop. I’ll talk my editor into sending over a camera crew. You can both hitch a ride to Hoenn from here.” 

“And in exchange?” 

“An exclusive would be nice. Both before you leave—and after you’ve taken care of whatever you’re looking to do in Hoenn.” Sammie grinned and held up her Rotom phone. 

Raihan laughed. “Are you sure you just do restaurants?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chickened out of writing the match because I’ve watched a couple of vids of competitive games and it’s kind of boring to describe blow-by-blow in a story. It’s more tactical and conservative than just rolling into a gym with over-levelled super-effective mons. 
> 
> Good god it HAS been 17 years since Ruby. Damn, I’m old.


	5. Chapter 5

Raihan cheered as the borrowed Latias he was riding surged into the sky, leaving the waving people on the deck of the ship in its dust. Kabu’s Latios drew level beside them, the Pokémon all but identical to the Latias save that the mask-like markings over its face, triangular wings and flared spiked tail at the end of its plane-like feathered body were blue instead of red.

“It’s so _fast_ ,” Raihan yelled over the wind to Kabu. 

Kabu was fighting a smile, amused by Raihan’s excitement. “I’m surprised you didn’t know. They’re dragons.” 

“Yeah, well, I’ve never been on one before, have I?” Raihan stroked the Latias’ neck. “Who’s a good girl? Yes you are! Man, I wish I had one of you. Or both.” The Latias made a series of fluting chirps, the common draconic equivalent of laughter. “Are you faster than Latios? I bet you are.” 

“There’s no noticeable speed difference between a Latios and a Latias,” Kabu called over to him. 

Latias trilled, and Raihan laughed, petting it. “Shows what he knows. How about a race? You and me against the two of them.” The Latios made an inquiring whistle. 

“We’ll tire them out. Besides, it won’t be fair. You’re heavier than I am,” Kabu said. 

Latias made a louder whistle, clicking and warbling as it floated a little higher. “Sounds like she disagrees,” Raihan said, getting out his Rotom phone and setting up a live stream. “Hey, everyone! I see people asking after us after the attack on the _Silver Marlin_ , and we’re good, thanks. Everyone got off lucky. The passengers are all getting evacuated back to Serenis, and I want y’all to join me in wishing everyone who was hurt a quick recovery.” He leaned back so the Rotom could get a shot of Kabu and Latios. “We’re on our way to Hoenn with a couple of friends borrowed from the Hoenn Times—lovely people, really helpful, check out their feed and site if you’ve got the time. 

“Kabu and I have got another real treat for y’all right now. Yeah, I know, right after that match too, huh? Don’t say we don’t spoil you. We’re going to race each other to Hoenn. So place your bets. On my mark,” Raihan said. Kabu shifted on Latios’ back, lying flat with his head tucked against his shoulders and his arms curled tight around Latios’ neck. “You scared of a little speed or what, old man?” Raihan called over, but Kabu only let out a dry laugh, pinning his bag between himself and Latios. “One, two, marrrr—eeyaaah!” 

Latias tucked her wings down closer to her body and shot forward. The wind nearly tore Raihan and the Rotom off her back—he grabbed it and somehow managed to tuck himself down over Latias, copying Kabu’s posture. The wind screamed against his ears, tearing at his cheeks. It occurred to Raihan that this was not going to be a flattering stream at all with the Rotom held so close, but he started to laugh, joyous and free. All the conflict and awkwardness from the last few days fell away behind him. There was only the sky and the open horizon. Raihan’s eyes were watering, but he found himself yelling into the wind, urging Latias on even though he was sure she couldn’t hear him over the jet stream. She shrilled, and there was a warm sense of acknowledgement in his mind as she somehow pushed out a further burst of speed. 

It was over in what felt like no time. Latias and Latios shot past the Hoenn coastline, over a city of white and silver perched over a busy port. They slowed down, whistling happily as they drifted close to the ground next to a white and grey lighthouse. Raihan got off the Latias’ back on wobbly feet, collapsing on his back on the grass and laughing as the Rotom spun around them. “Whew! Did we win?” Raihan asked the Latias. She chirped and did a barrel roll in the air, then went still and looked to the west, listening to something Raihan didn’t catch. Latias bent her head, nuzzling Raihan affectionately. “Yeah, it was nice to meet you too, pretty lady. You too, Latios. See you both again sometime.” Raihan petted the Latias on her nose, and she whistled, rising into the air with Latios and flying west. 

Kabu pulled Raihan to his feet as he closed off the live stream and set up a public ‘Who won the race?’ poll. “You’re very good with dragons,” Kabu said as Raihan dusted himself off. “They instinctively trust you, even those that don’t know you.” 

“Comes with the job, doesn’t it?” 

Kabu gave him a sidelong glance. “Many would be proud to have such a natural affinity with powerful Pokémon.” 

“Why?” Raihan said, puzzled. “That’s got nothing to do with me and more to do with them.” 

“Someone like you is a rare thing. Touched by power and yet immune to its corruption.” Kabu pulled up the collar of his coat, looking up at the lighthouse with a distant expression.

“Think you’re making it a bigger deal than what it is, mate,” Raihan said, setting his hands on his hips. “By the way, where are we?” 

They stood at the end of a stone pier that led to a port city. Blue and grey stone paved wide streets framed by lush flowering hedges. There was a tidy beach to Raihan’s left that was crowded with people jogging or playing ball with Pokémon. A stone archway marked the entrance to a raucous market past the pier with colourful signage, packed with people and their Pokémon squeezing between open-air stalls. Stone and glass buildings bracketed boulevards beyond the market and the lighthouse, and rising behind them all was a familiar sight—a large stadium. 

“Slateport City,” Kabu said, with a nod at the port. “We should get to the—”

“Hang on. Not so fast. Let’s get a photo together first.” Raihan slung an arm over Kabu’s shoulders before he could refuse and made the peace sign as the Rotom angled itself to get a good shot of the city into the background. Kabu wasn’t smiling in the snap, but Raihan was in too good a mood now to be fazed. Even if the poll so far indicated that people thought Kabu had won the race. As he uploaded the snap, Raihan followed Kabu down the pier. “What now?” he asked. His stomach growled loudly. 

Kabu’s mouth twitched. “Dinner? We can explore the market. The food should be great.” 

Raihan perked up. “Awesome. I love street food.” 

They dropped off their bags at a small hotel near the market. Raihan was hungry enough to eat anything by the time they walked under the archway and into the crowd, breathing in the rich scent of grilling skewers, seared roe, steamed bean jam and sweet potato dumplings, fragrant bone broth ramen, fish cakes, sticks of deep-fried katsu and more. Kabu opted for a small bowl of ramen, but Raihan made a supreme attempt to try a little of everything. He was groaning from the effort as he staggered out of the market on Kabu’s heels, collapsing on a stone bench overlooking the quiet beach and sinking into it. They were holding cups of bubble tea: Kabu was sipping from a sugarless iced green tea, while Raihan had opted for a ‘Blue Lagoon’, which somehow changed colour the more he mixed. 

“I think I’m going to explode,” Raihan said, leaning back over the bench in a sprawl. 

“You only have yourself to blame,” Kabu said, though he smiled softly and looked up at the stars. 

“The food here is amazing. Why’d you ever leave?” Raihan swirled his drink, still fascinated by the colour change. He’d taken three videos and was still shook. “This is some kinda serious drink sorcery… Kabu?” Kabu stared quietly at his drink, avoiding Raihan’s eyes. Shit. Raihan hadn’t meant to ruin the mood. “Hey,” Raihan said softly. “Thanks for today. And for letting me tag along and stuff. Annoying as it has to be.” 

“It’s not as though I can do anything about that,” Kabu said, though his wry smile stole the sting from his words. “And. I suppose that I’m glad. That you’re here.” 

Raihan’s chest did that expanding and contracting thing again. He took in a slow breath and edged closer until their knees were touching. Kabu stiffened as Raihan kissed his temple, but he didn’t jerk away. “This is the most fun I’ve had in ages,” Raihan said. 

“Even with the attack on the ship?” 

“People got hurt on that bit so. Yeah, that part wasn’t fun.” 

“You charged straight for Moltres even though you didn’t know what it could do. That took courage.” 

“Nah, it wasn’t even the biggest Pokémon I’ve ever faced.” Raihan sobered. “What was wrong with it? That stone that was stuck on it, that you broke… did you know that was going to fix things?”

“I didn’t know, I guessed. I’ve never seen that phenomenon before, but I’ve met Moltres when I was…” Kabu exhaled and stared at his feet. “There are some things that you need to know about me.”

Raihan looked around. This part of the city was quiet at this time of the night, with only the sounds of the sea and from the market they’d left. “You don’t have to tell me anything,” Raihan said. 

“I want to. It’d be a relief, in a way. It’s been so long since I’ve talked to anyone about all this. I’ve thought things over, and there’s no point keeping things to myself.” Kabu looked bleakly at the sea. “A long time ago, there were two boys who lived in a village on the western edge of Hoenn. The village no longer exists. There was a big earthquake that broke a dam close to the village, and it was washed away, along with almost everyone they knew. The boys only survived because they’d snuck out of class, trying to catch Fletchlings in the forest.”

Talonflames were the final evolution of Fletchlings. “Kabu…” 

“Not everyone in the village drowned. Those with large water Pokémon companions survived: their Pokémon swam them to safety. There were attempts to rescue everyone after that, but for most, it was already too late. The new river ate the village, and the sea ate the river. For the boys, now alone but for each other, this taught them an early lesson: only the strong can determine their fate.” 

Raihan frowned. “That isn’t true.”

“Yes, it isn’t. It took me a long time to understand that. Men with a brutish instinct for power often learn the wrong lesson about power, and when I was young, I was ignorant. Volatile, hot-tempered, destructive. Once you said that about people who preferred fire-types, and you were closer to the truth than you knew.” 

“It was a joke.” 

“It was true of me for a time. And my friend.” 

“Maxie,” Raihan guessed. 

That got him a sharp, searching look. Kabu nodded slowly. “So you know.” 

“Not much. Sammie—that reporter aboard the ship—gave me a brief run-down on stuff that happened seventeen years ago, something about Team Magma and Groudon and the previous Hoenn Champion kicking their arses. Off the record.”

“All that happened afterwards: I was already living in Galar at that point. Back then, I had some ability as a trainer, while Maxie had a talent for detail and strategy. We considered doing the Hoenn League, building a team. Me becoming Champion, along with him as my manager. Ultimately, we decided it was pointless for what we wanted to do.” Kabu stared at his right hand as he closed it into a fist. “Fame and celebrity are fleeting. We wanted power—real power. Beyond the gyms, beyond politics.”

“Legendary Pokémon,” Raihan said. 

“That’s right. Non-legendary Pokémon can already do incredible things. Read minds, shape reality, change the weather. If we could do so much with what we could catch just outside the walls of our cities, what could we do with Pokémon that were akin to Gods amongst their own? Or that was what Maxie said. He was the one with the big plans. All I wanted was power.” 

“For?” 

Kabu let out a short laugh. “To change the world, or so I’d have told you then. I know better now. For flawed people like myself, power is a drug. You taste a little of it, then you just want more and more, and you start craving it for its own sake. It becomes a hunger that consumes you. More than Pokémon or natural disasters, it’s the hunger for power—and the unworthy people who wield it—that are the biggest threat to our world.”

“You’re not like that. Not anymore.” 

Kabu didn’t seem to hear him. “We started searching for legendary fire Pokémon. Some, like Hoenn’s own Groudon, eluded our efforts. Others we found and subdued, bending them to my will. Heatran and Volcanion. Entei. Moltres. Along with other powerful but non-legendary Pokémon from around the world. Yet I became obsessed with more. There was a fire Pokémon that was said to be a God in its own right; a God rumoured to have the power over life and death. Ho-oh.”

“Is that even possible?” Raihan had never heard of anything that could do that. Pokémon or not. 

“I don’t know. We tracked down Ho-oh to a large tree in the Johto Region. It was one of its favourite roosts. During the battle, the forest around us caught fire, which spread quickly out of control. We abandoned the fight and fled. Somehow we reached the edge of the forest and safety, and that’s when we heard the screams.” Kabu buried his face in his hands. “There was a small village in the forest. We’d walked past it on the way to Ho-oh’s tree. There were children… Maxie said there was nothing we could do. I didn’t agree. We parted there and then—he went forward, I went back.”

“Into the fire?” Raihan asked, amazed. 

Kabu nodded, breathing shakily. “I remember feeling so helpless. I had loved the raw power of fire for so long, and now it humbled me. I tried to help clear a path to the river with my Pokémon, but people were already suffocating from the smoke. As I was. Except unlike them, I survived. My Arcanine saved me—Komainu carried me out of the forest when I collapsed. 

“When I woke up, the fire had burnt itself out. Looking at the ruin of the forest, I finally understood how empty my life had been. How unworthy I was of power. I decided to set free every Pokémon I’d ever caught.” 

Raihan blinked. “But—”

“Most of them left, but twelve remained. Refused to leave, even as I tried to chase them off. While I was arguing with Kōjin and the others, a strange woman dressed in pink approached me out of nowhere. Told me not to be so stubborn.” Kabu let out a harsh laugh. “Said it was disrespectful for me to spit on their offer of a second chance, and that if I ever got over my ego, I should meet her at Ballonlea Gym in Galar. She wanted to sponsor me as a challenger in the Galarian League.” 

“That was Opal?” Raihan asked. At Kabu’s nod, Raihan said, “What was she doing in Johto?” 

“Looking for a Chansey. Just be grateful she never found one—her gym challenge would’ve been a nightmare with a Blissey.” Kabu rubbed his eyes and took another sip of his drink. “I ignored her invitation for a while, though I conceded her point. I took my Pokémon to Ryme City, determined to live there for the rest of my life and never battle with Pokémon again. It didn’t last: Kōjin was unhappy there. After a year, I took a ship to Galar. The rest is public knowledge.” 

“You didn’t use any legendary Pokémon when you were a Challenger,” Raihan said. He hadn’t been born yet when Kabu was a challenger in the League. Still, he’d read some of the archival interviews out of curiosity when he had become a challenger, and none of them had mentioned Heatran or Volcanion. 

“It wouldn’t have been fair. I didn’t capture those myself—I’d never have found and trapped them without Maxie. That’s why my gym challenge is the way it is. I want to see how new challengers treat Pokémon. How they approach life and power.” Kabu set the drink aside. “Now you know everything.” 

“Sounds like it’s been eating you up for a while.” It was a lot to take in. “And you’ve been trying to make up for it since.”

“It won’t ever be enough.” 

“That why you’re back here? Loose ends?” At Kabu’s slow nod, Raihan reached over and hugged his shoulders, resting his chin on Kabu’s hair. “You’ve got to forgive yourself at some point.”

“Never,” Kabu said, quiet and firm. “Raihan… you’re a promising young man with a bright future ahead of you. I’m an old man with a lot of regrets. This infatuation of yours is dangerous.”

Raihan chuckled, refusing to budge even as Kabu pushed at his arms. “Mate, first you tell me that you think I’m too flaky to be in a serious relationship and now you try to scare me off. I’m getting mixed signals here.” 

“There’s nothing for you here. You should go back to Galar.” 

“Is that what you were angling to get at all this while? No can do. A giant flaming bird broke my ride back, remember? You’re stuck with me.” Raihan kissed Kabu on the temple. “I’m going to help you with whatever your problem is, whether you like it or not.” 

“Dragons are stubborn,” Kabu said. He sounded resigned, but he smiled faintly.

“Yeah. But fire? Fire changes.” Raihan poked the tip of Kabu’s nose. “Maybe once upon a time, it didn’t care what it burned up as long as it burned something. Now, I don’t think so.” 

“Nothing changes _that_ much,” Kabu whispered, though he let Raihan tip up his chin, and parted his lips when Raihan bent for a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Refs:  
> I also find the taming system in Pokémon kinda brutal haha. You pretty much torture a Pokémon within an inch of its life and then bombard it with tiny prisons until it gives up. When I was farming Eevees for Magic Bounce Espeon in Sun, I think I spent like 1-2 hours just knocking out Eevees left and right. 
> 
> Hoenn is meant to be based on Kyushu:  
> https://gurunavi.com/en/japanfoodie/2016/01/kyushu-food.html  
> https://japan-magazine.jnto.go.jp/en/1606_kyushufood.html
> 
> https://www.tsunagujapan.com/tapioca-bubble-tea-stores-to-visit-in-tokyo/ I’m actually the literal worst for bubble tea, I only drink the basic milk tea with basic pearls. Maybe a hot lemon tea if I feel like it, but other than that, I don’t like change.


	6. Chapter 6

Raihan yawned and snuggled up as the warm mass in his arms tried to squirm free. “Hrmm… five more minutes,” Raihan muttered. 

Kabu pushed at his arms. “It’s already daybreak. Let up. I’m going to go for a run. Then we should get breakfast and be ready to leave.” 

“Nooo,” Raihan moaned, refusing to move. “I’ve got a better idea. How about we sleep in, get brunch, then head out after? We’re already ahead of schedule anyway. Latias and Latios got us here a day or so earlier than a ship would’ve.” 

“Sleep in?” Kabu sounded so scandalised that Raihan began to laugh. 

“Surely it can’t be a foreign concept.” Raihan shifted on top of Kabu, pinning down his legs as he pressed his cheek to the hard plane of Kabu’s belly. “Ugh. I overate last night.” 

“Still only have yourself to blame. Move.” Kabu pushed at his shoulder. 

“Nope.” Raihan nuzzled Kabu over his stomach, making him twitch—then tense up as Raihan kissed down to the hem of his pyjama pants. Raihan mouthed over Kabu’s crotch and grinned as a bulge firmed up quickly against his lips. “Good morning to this too,” Raihan purred, with a wicked grin. 

“You’re ridiculous,” Kabu said, badly stifling laughter. He stopped trying to squirm free, leaning back against the headboard as Raihan pulled down the hem of his pants and underwear to press playful little licks against the swelling tip. 

“I want this inside me,” Raihan said, already growing stiff in his pants at the thought of it. “I could ride you on the bed. Here. That way we’d both get in a bit of exercise, hm?” He winked lazily. 

Kabu rubbed his hand over his face, his ears reddening. “I can’t believe you said that out loud.” 

“Why? It’s true.” Raihan licked a slow stripe up the thick underside of Kabu’s cock. “This will be a fun way to work up a sweat. More fun than jogging around the city—”

“ _Yo!_ ” There was a shout from the street outside, one floor down. “Anyone called Kabu in there? Rise and shine!” 

Raihan froze up, even as there was the sound of frantic shushing. Kabu jerked free so quickly that he nearly kneed Raihan in the throat, hastily setting his clothes to rights and striding over to the window. 

Kabu looked down. “One moment,” he called to whoever it was on the street and hurried into the bathroom. 

Raihan groaned into the bed, clenching his hands into fists. When he heard Kabu turn on the tap, Raihan stumbled onto his feet, rubbing his eyes and sloping over to the window. On the street, a young girl was sitting cross-legged on a Ferrothorn, the spiky steel Pokémon planting its three vine-like, spiky disk-tipped appendages apart to brace her weight. It glared up at Raihan with its black-slitted yellow eyes, gleaming in the pale light of dawn. The girl wore a tennis cap over her thick plume of tawny hair, her round, brown face drawn up in a cheeky grin. She wore a blue backpack over her white blouse and had a brace of pokéballs at her hip. Behind her was a dark man in a suit with silvery-black hair who was still trying to shush her. 

Kabu went down first. Raihan got cleaned up and changed as quickly as he could, yawning as he strolled out onto the street. Kabu was already murmuring to the strangers—he turned as Raihan approached. “Raihan, this is Amber, the current Hoenn Champion, and her father, Jordan. Amber, Jordan, this is Raihan, the leader of Hammerlocke Gym in Galar.” 

No wonder the few people in the street were whispering and pointing. “Nice to meet you,” Raihan said, looking curiously at Amber. Sammie had said that Amber was young, but Amber looked even younger than the usual challengers that made it through the Galarian League—she was maybe ten or eleven at the most. 

“Hammerlocke, huh? That the Dragon gym? The last one in the Galarian League?” Amber’s grin widened. “Wanna try me? Let’s have a match.” 

“Anytime,” Raihan said, even as Kabu cut in with a sharp, “Now is hardly the time. We should get off the street. Is there a cafe nearby that’s open?”

“Psssh,” Amber said, though she perked up as Jordan led them to a cafe close to the market that was setting up. Flower boxes ringed in the cafe, and the smell of fresh-baked bread wafted through the door. By the time they were settled at a table and got their menus, Raihan was hungry enough to be more forgiving of the rude morning awakening. He and Amber ordered a big breakfast each, while Kabu opted for some toast and eggs, with Jordan getting a bircher muesli. 

“Wow,” Amber said after the serving staff wandered off with their orders. “I don’t ever want to get old. We’re at _Calia_ and y’all ordered _toast and muesli_. Seriously. I’m telling mum.” She started typing furiously into her Rotom phone. 

“I don’t ever want to get old either,” Raihan said, though he grinned playfully at Kabu as Kabu sighed. “Do you want to share the french toast or the waffles after?” 

“French toast _and_ the waffles, and you’re on,” Amber said, looking up from her phone with excitement.

“Be warned, she’s unbearable when sugared up,” Jordan said, smiling wryly. He looked stressed. “Look. I’m sure the both of you are great people, and Amber’s aunt has vouched for you both, but I’m not sure about my little girl going off to face giant monsters with two random strangers.” 

“ _Daaad_ ,” Amber groaned. “I became Champion without you or Mum hovering around. I’ll be _fine_.” 

“Don’t remind me. I was so convinced every morning that I’d wake up to the police calling me from a hospital or something worse.” Jordan rubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t even that the culture in most of this country abides allowing very young children to run off unsupervised to have such… such intrinsically violent adventures.” 

“Dad’s from Ryme City,” Amber stage-whispered. “It’s been twenty years, and he still has weird ideas. Also, he’s a lawyer, which makes it worse.”

“We should’ve moved to Ryme City when you were born,” Jordan grumbled. 

“Tell that to Mum, what with her being an ex-Hoenn Champion and all that.” Amber looked curiously at Raihan and Kabu. “Why did Aunt Opal ask y’all to come? Did y’all even actually manage to beat her before? She’s fairy. You’re dragon, which is weak to fairy… and as to you—no offence—fire monotype teams aren’t the greatest.” 

“Amber!” Jordan hissed, mortified. “Don’t be rude.” 

“I do fine,” Kabu said, amused. 

“Opal’s your _aunt_?” Raihan gawked at Amber. He couldn’t see any familial resemblance.

“Distant grand-aunt actually, but she hates it when I call her that. On my mum’s side.” Amber shuddered. “She’s my very own evil fairy godmother. If mum hadn’t stood firm, Aunt Opal would’ve spirited me off to Galar for training. She’s looking for a successor or something. I told her, sure, running a monotype team at least makes the League a challenge, but I don’t like fairy Pokémon. She threatened to disown me, and I told her to bring it, and she laughed, so eh. Here we are.” Amber scowled, bringing a brief end to the verbal torrent. “I can handle Team Magma by myself, though. Y’all didn’t have to make the trip.” 

Kabu leaned forward intently. “You’re certain it’s Team Magma? When Opal told me to come to Hoenn to meet you, she said it wasn’t definite. No one’s seen Maxie for seventeen years.” 

Amber shrugged. “Who else could it be? Sure, they went underground when Mum kicked their asses, but maybe they got over it. All these giant berserk Pokémon running around causing trouble looks like something they’d do.” She sobered. “Heard one of them attacked your ship. Glad y’all are fine.” 

It was probably Maxie. Why else would Moltres attack the ship and go straight for Kabu? “Do we have any leads?” Raihan asked. 

“Yup. Professor Birch over in Littleroot Town said he might have something for us soon. I was meant to come here, pick y’all up, and head over there. After breakfast,” Amber said, watching hungrily as the serving staff approached their table with plates of food. 

For someone who maybe came up to Raihan’s ribs, Amber could pack it in. She scarfed down poached eggs, house-made sausages, bacon, grilled tomatoes, pickled peppers, and her hash browns without stopping for a break, then vibrated eagerly in her seat as Raihan called over serving staff to order waffles and french toast. “The food in this region is awesome,” Raihan said when he got a forkful of the warm, fluffy, and not-too-dense buttery waffles. 

“People who love to eat are the only people who love life.” Amber’s eyes gleamed as she shovelled a square of caramel-streaked french toast into her mouth. “Maybe you’re not so bad. Not sure about your toast friend, though.” 

Kabu chuckled but kept talking to Jordan. Raihan tuned them out when breakfast had been served—they were talking about local politics and boring stuff like that—but whatever it was, it seemed to work on Jordan. He was considerably less suspicious by the time they were done. There was a brief fight for the bill that Kabu won. 

Outside the cafe, Jordan said with visible reluctance, “I suppose Opal did vouch for you both, and Mister Kabu has been friends with her for decades… and the both of you _are_ gym leaders with years of experience. I’m just worried. My daughter is so young—”

Amber smacked her hand over her face. “ _Dad_. I beat the _Elite Four_ just a couple of months ago.” 

Jordan cleared his throat. “I know you did, baby, I watched the match—”

“No, you didn’t. Mum said you got so stressed that you hid in the firm’s bathroom and made your secretary email you every five minutes with updates,” Amber said. 

“ _Anyway_ ,” Jordan said, raising his voice as Raihan laughed, “I want you to call your mum and I twice a day with updates, OK? Be careful. Stay safe.” 

“You worry too much.” Amber hugged her dad. “Macaron and the others will take care of me. And fiiine, I’ll call.”

“You’d better.” Jordan looked anxiously over at Raihan and Kabu. “Take care of her. Please.”

“We will, I promise you,” Kabu said. Raihan nodded. 

As they walked back to the hotel to pick up their bags, Amber resummoned her Ferrothorn. “Are you running a monotype team?” Raihan asked. 

“Yeah. Just for the challenge. Steel’s my thing,” Amber said, petting Ferrothorn’s flank affectionately. “This is Macaron.” Macaron rumbled, stamping its spiked feet into the ground and tilting up its disk-shaped body.

“You run a steel team and you named your Pokémon after food?” Raihan asked. 

Amber sniffed. “After types of biscuits, thank you very much.” 

“Girl,” Raihan said, laughing, “we’re going to get along just fine.”

#

“No wonder Opal asked you to help out, if her niece is running a steel team,” Raihan said as they walked through Route 103. Amber had passed out in a post-waffle food coma on top of her Ferrothorn and was snoring as it walked, careful to keep its spiked body as steady as possible under its master. “What with steel’s weakness being fire and all that, she probably thought you could cover it.”

“I don’t think that’s the reason she advised me to go to Hoenn,” Kabu said, folding his hands deep into his coat with his bag slung against his back. “She said she’d love nothing more than for her niece to stop being fixated on steel-types. If not in so many polite words. Opal can be a strange one.” 

“She’d have her successor by now if she weren’t so picky,” Raihan said. Opal’s gym challenge hadn’t changed much in two decades. Raihan shuddered. “I used to get nightmares about the questions she asked me. And Leon. She nearly beat me, and I’d built up a team just to defeat her. Since most of my usual team would be weak to hers.”

“I can imagine,” Kabu said wryly. “Even though she sponsored me, she gave me no quarter when I challenged her. I lost my first two matches against her because she kept unsettling me with her questions during the fight. It’s an effective strategy.” 

“She nearly defeated Leon when she asked him why he didn’t have a girlfriend.” Raihan snickered at the memory. “He was so thrown by the question that if his Charizard wasn’t on the ball, it’d have been all over.” 

“I remember that.” Kabu glanced at Raihan. “She asked you about the meaning of life.” 

“Urgh. I freaked out. I didn’t have any idea what to say, so I just said the first thing on my mind. I got dragged so hard online for it after the match.” 

Kabu chuckled, folding his hands behind his back. “It was an effective answer, accidental as it was. ‘Sausages’ confused Opal so much in turn that she made a mistake in that round with her Togekiss. Ancient Rock wasn’t going to do much against your Sandaconda.” 

“I thought I’d never live that down. Even though I won.” 

“People can be cruel online. Hiding behind anonymity. I’ve seen the comments on some of your snaps.” Kabu’s amusement faded. 

“Yeah. It was hard to take at first,” Raihan said, folding his arms behind his head. “Since my original selfies were of me during my defeats. People would get on my case about what mistakes I’ve made and how I sucked or whatever. I’ve learned not to sweat it. People can say what they want, but I’m just going to live the way I want.” 

Kabu smiled softly at him. This was turning out to be a lovely day out, even with the snoring little girl next to them. The few trainers out and about whom they saw on the way left them alone when they recognised Amber, and it was a comfortable walk until they reached the bank of a river by the afternoon. Amber retrieved her Ferrothorn and sent out an Empoleon, a huge black and white bird with a strange steel-like trident guard in front of its head. It waddled into the water and waited as she settled on its back. 

“Y’all going to be OK?” Amber asked, concerned. “Sorry… should’ve mentioned this earlier. The river current’s too strong at some bits to be safe for a human swimmer—you’re going to have to ride across on Pokémon.”

Gyarados was grudgingly willing to take Kabu, though it grumbled as Raihan tried to get on as well. Hydreigon ended up having to carry Raihan as they made their way across the wide river, dodging swimmers. “Mum used to zip around Hoenn on a Latias’ back when she was still pulling Champion duties,” Amber said as Empoleon kept pace next to the Gyarados, “but she lent Latias and Latios full-time to her day job after she made editor. At the Hoenn Times.” 

“We’ve met,” Raihan said, wistful. Hydreigon whistled a query with two of his heads, and Raihan laughed as he patted it affectionately on the back. “Yeah well, that’s different, buddy. You’re doing just fine.” 

“Can you really understand him, or are you just pretending?” Amber looked dubiously at the three-headed Pokémon. 

“You’d figure it out when you’re older,” Raihan said and snickered as Amber let out an indignant growl. 

“Why, you—”

“Strange,” Kabu cut in. “Is it me, or is it getting colder?” 

Raihan and Amber looked around, but there weren’t any Pokémon in the vicinity, let alone anything that could turn the weather. Besides, there wasn’t any hail coming down. It was getting colder. Each breath they made soon puffed out before them as plumes of pale steam. Hydreigon made an unhappy sound: dragons didn’t much like the cold. Snow started to spiral down out of nowhere in gentle flakes, spinning against them. Raihan opened his mouth, tasting one of the snowflakes on his tongue. The chill bit deeper than usual, and the temperature around them was still dropping fast. 

“Oh no,” Kabu said, scanning the sky with his eyes shaded under a palm. “We have to get to land. Now.” 

“I don’t see anythi—” Amber yelped as a spike of ice shot out of nowhere and nearly speared through her, plunging into the water. Empoleon squawked in alarm, zipping hastily behind a large rock. 

“Where did that come from?” Raihan looked around wildly, with Hydreigon following suit. There still weren’t any Pokémon close by that he could see. The flurry of snow was getting deeper, swirling all around them until it was getting hard to make out where Amber and Empoleon were. Gyarados and Kabu were a dim shadow against the water. 

“There,” Kabu said from somewhere below. There was the familiar sound of a pokéball activating, then Kōjin shrieked a challenge, snow sizzling into water against her wings as she darted up past Raihan. Twists of fire spun outward as she flared her wings. The will o’ wisp burned _something_ within the whirling snow that screamed and spread its enormous, now translucent wings. A gigantic bird of glass and feather and ice faded into view, its feathers running from a deep blue to pale azure, a stone embedded high on its feathery breast and pulsing against its flesh with angry red lines. 

“Smash the stone!” Raihan called down to Amber as he ran through his options. An ice/flying type? Duraludon would work, but the heavy steel Pokémon would sink in the water. Maybe Flygon— 

A bright pulse of light speared up from where Amber had been. The flash cannon stabbed through one of the ice bird’s translucent wings, knocking it off balance and making it flap wildly to stay in the air. It shrieked and the ice around them grew denser yet, the cold becoming painfully biting—then a chill wind roared all around Raihan, cutting away all visibility. Hydreigon twisted to shield Raihan from the brunt of the blizzard and cried out, agonised, as icy shards tore through him. Then they were falling, the dragon disappearing from under Raihan as Hydreigon fainted. 

Raihan hit the water. The sudden chill shocked him into yelping, and then he was coughing and clawing at the enveloping water as bubbles bloomed up from his mouth. He couldn’t breathe. Through the snowstorm above, there was another flash of light. As Raihan tried to swim blindly toward it, a pressure rose against his flank, forcing him up. He gasped for air as he broke the surface. Gyarados shot Raihan a worried look—its tail was looped under Raihan’s belly. 

“Raihan!” Kabu was still on Gyarados’ back. “Are you all right?” 

“The hell is that thing?” Raihan croaked. 

“Articuno. It’s one of the legendary birds; it’s weak to—” Kabu twisted, leaping off Gyarados’ back and cleaving into the water. A beam of ice struck Gyarados on its back where Kabu had been. It screamed in pain, thrashing to the side, displacing Raihan from its tail. Raihan hastily recalled it before its serpentine body accidentally slammed into him, and tread water, trying to stay afloat. 

He summoned Flygon above the water and she shivered miserably as she materialised into the chill. “Careful,” Raihan gasped at her. “Try to get close. Steel wing—aim for the stone.” Flygon turned to him and nodded in understanding. Her wings vibrated as she gained height, singing into the snow. The snowstorm began to ease as the wind picked up sand from nowhere, until the world above was a blanket of warm grit and dust. Articuno shrilled in outrage, trying to climb out of Flygon’s sandstorm. Another flash of light slammed into Articuno just under the stone on its breast, knocking it spinning. It spat a beam of ice back at Amber, but its aim went awry as Kōjin dove for its eyes, conjuring a wheel of fire before her talons that made Articuno squawk and back off. 

Flygon was picking up speed, darting closer as Kōjin and Empoleon kept Articuno distracted. Closer. “Now,” Raihan mouthed from the water. Flygon couldn’t have heard him from where she was, but she didn’t need to. She braced herself and lunged, angling her hard-edged wings forward and slamming one right into the stone. Articuno roared. It battered at Flygon with its wings, but Flygon darted free as Articuno started to shrink, falling from the sky as the stone shattered. It righted itself just before it hit the water with a confused chirp, then turned and fled as Kōjin squawked and dove at it in a killing stoop. 

“We did it,” Raihan said in relief, paddling in the water as he looked for Kabu. “Kabu… _Kabu_?” 

Kabu was nowhere to be seen. Raihan summoned Gyarados and dived, looking around in a panic. There was a plume of bubbles far to the front as Empoleon also dived with Amber on its back. She turned her head around, searching, then pointed frantically. Kabu was drifting near the bottom of the river, his leg caught in some seaweed. Gyarados surged over at Raihan’s gesture, ripping at the seaweed with its teeth and nudging Kabu up to the surface. 

On the other side of the river, Kabu coughed water as Raihan performed chest compressions, but didn’t wake. Kōjin wailed as it anxiously circled overhead. “Oldale Town isn’t far,” Amber said, feeling for Kabu’s pulse. “We can get him to a doctor there.” 

Raihan picked Kabu up in a fireman’s carry, expecting Kōjin to attack him at any moment. Thankfully, she didn’t, keening as she flew around them. “Lead the way,” Raihan told Amber, “and hurry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Team Mystic forever ;))) of course Articuno was going to be in this fic.
> 
> Also yeah, the ages of the MCs in most of the Pokemon games appears to be 10? :O


	7. Chapter 7

“Hey,” Raihan said as Kabu stirred. “Take it easy.” 

On the small bed in the small clinic in Oldale, Kabu groaned and coughed. “Articuno?” he rasped. 

“Kōjin chased it off.” Nestled on Raihan’s lap, Kōjin let out a fierce chirp. Raihan tried to pet it and yelped as he got pecked for his trouble. Kabu frowned, staring blearily at Kōjin. “Yeah, she warmed up to me a little after I carried you all the way here. Don’t think we’re friends yet, but we’re getting there.” Kōjin shot Raihan a searching stare, getting up and hopping onto Kabu’s bed. She churred happily as he managed to raise a hand and weakly scratch her under her chin. 

“Amber?” Kabu asked.

“She’s fine. She’s outside talking to Professor Birch—he travelled up from Littleroot after we told him we were going to be delayed here for a bit. Given you swallowed a lot of river water and nearly drowned.”

Kabu relaxed, closing his eyes. “I’m getting too old for this,” he muttered. 

Raihan snickered as he shifted over to the bed, displacing Kōjin—she made a rude sound as she hopped over to the back of the chair. “Yeah well, I remember _someone_ wanting to handle all this fuss by himself.”

“That person was both arrogant and ignorant,” Kabu said, with a faint smile. 

“Seriously though, I thought we were only going to be facing crazed fire Pokémon.”

“Why did you think that?” 

“…Guess I assumed, what Team ‘Magma’ and you being involved and. Nevermind.” That was getting to be a bad habit. Raihan leaned over, brushing a playful kiss over Kabu’s forehead. “Doc says you should rest for at least a day or so more.” 

“That’d be a waste of time.”

“Yeah, I told her you’d say that. If you ride Arcanine and try to take it easy maybe you won’t collapse on us along the way, but the doctor had choice words to say about that.”

“I know what I can handle,” Kabu said. 

“Uh-huh. Speaking of which, did it occur to you to maybe tell us that you couldn’t swim before we decided to surf across a big river?” Raihan asked dryly, kissing Kabu on the nose. “Mate, I nearly had a heart attack.” 

“I didn’t think it was—” Kabu tensed up as Raihan kissed him. He relaxed grudgingly, stroking his thumbs over Raihan’s cheek as Raihan licked into his mouth. Raihan gathered Kabu up in his arms, twisting his fingers into Kabu’s greying hair and holding on tightly as he kissed. He could be flippant now, but the run to Oldale and felt like an eternity with Kōjin wailing above them, as though she was mourning the dead. Kabu’s hands drifted down to Raihan’s shirt, stroking over his chest, pressing a palm over his heartbeat. 

They were still tangled together like this when Amber burst into the room with a loud, “Professor Birch says he knows where we’ve got to go next and _my eyes!_ ” 

Raihan glanced up at her, pretending to scowl. “This is the second time now. Are you trying to kill me with frustration?” 

“Frustration with what?” Amber asked, covering her eyes as she backed slowly out of the room. “Anyway! Professor Birch would like to speak to us? Outside? There’s a cafe? When you’re ready?” She fled. 

Kabu pushed at Raihan and tried to get up. “You’re a bad influence on the young,” Kabu said. 

“The only old person here is you, _darling_ ,” Raihan said in a playful drawl, pecking Kabu on the lips. Kabu batted at him, trying to wriggle weakly out of his grip and get up. “Nope. You’re staying here and resting. I’ll see what Amber and Birch want. When you can walk without falling face-first into things, we’ll set off. Which means. Resting. Don’t make me summon Flygon to sit on you.” 

Kabu grumbled but let Raihan tuck him back into bed. Raihan stole a kiss to go, tried to pet Kōjin, got bitten, and was still sucking on the wound when he located Amber and Birch in the cafe next to the small clinic. Oldale was a tiny town, smaller than any town Raihan had been to in Galar. It had a handful of houses, a Pokémon centre and a separate mart, a small grocery shop, and little else. While waiting for Kabu to wake up, Amber and Raihan had made camp on the outskirts of the town, since there wasn’t a motel. 

The cafe served a decent udon and dango. They ordered a late lunch and sat down at one of the cafe’s two tables outside, shaded from the sun by an umbrella. Amber’s Lucario was scanning the sky as it paced briskly outside the cafe on two dainty grey feet, its sharp-tipped blue ears twitching over its sleek head as it swung its steel-spiked paws back and forth.

“Any changes?” Birch asked as Raihan sat down. Professor Birch didn’t look much like the Professors Raihan was used to—he was tall and sturdily built, a silvering beard feathering down a flannel shirt. He had a kind, curious face wreathed with smile lines, and if not for the tell-tale white lab coat he wore, Raihan would have thought him to be some sort of local grocer. 

“He’s awake. Stubborn as anything,” Raihan said. He gave Amber a pointed look. “Next time, maybe knock.” Amber mumbled something under her breath and pulled a face. 

Oblivious, Birch was fiddling with his Rotom phone. “I’ve been studying data on the Dynamax phenomenon shared by Professor Magnolia, and I’m certain that this ‘stone-possession’ matter is something different. The energy readings are oddly spiked, and are more psychic than environmental.” 

“Psychic?” Raihan repeated. 

“I’ve been analysing the stone shard you gave me, and while it’s been days since you picked it up off the deck of the _Silver Marlin_ , it’s still charged with psychic energy. Like a battery. My experiments are still in a preliminary stage, but I think this psychic energy reacts with a targeted Pokémon’s brain chemistry, somehow. Causing it to warp.” 

“Making it very aggressive,” Amber said with a frown. 

Birch nodded. “Not only that—it supercharges the Pokémon on a cellular level, changing its very form. Phenomenon that can physically warp a Pokémon in shape and size are common to specific regions in the world. There’s Dynamaxing in Galar, Z-Power in Alola, Mega Evolutions and so on. The latter was of particular interest to me in this case. You might already be aware of this, but certain Pokémon have the power to ‘mega evolve’ when holding a Mega Stone: evolutionary stones thought to be irradiated by the Legendary Pokémon Xerneas or Yveltal.” 

“Leon—the Galarian Champion—mentioned Mega Stones to me before,” Raihan said. Leon had tried to acquire a Mega Stone for his Charizard. Thankfully, he hadn’t been able to get his hands on one yet—it’d make his team far too much of a challenge.

“So this is like a Mega Stone but… corrupted?” Amber asked, looking doubtful. 

“Something like that. Whatever it might be,” Birch said more soberly, “I don’t need to stress how particularly dangerous this endeavour is to the both of you. Psychic powers are still considered largely inexplicable, and an uncontrolled psychic backlash _can_ irreparably damage human minds.” 

“We’ve been fine so far,” Raihan said. He straightened up as the cafe brought out steaming bowls of udon and dango, the rich scent of the broth reviving his waning appetite. 

Birch grimaced. “Applying brute force to an inexplicable object isn’t usually a winning strategy. I was amazed that there wasn’t an immediate backlash of some sort… and that’s when it struck me. Maybe there _was_ something. Some sign.” He twirled noodles inexpertly with his chopsticks as he waved his free hand at his Rotom phone. It beeped, transferring data to Raihan’s and Amber’s phones. “I traced psychic energy distortions over Hoenn from within the past few days. There were two, from the point at which Moltres was defeated, and more recently, with Articuno. Coming from Rustboro City. I’ve sent the location marker to both your phones.” 

“I knew we could count on you,” Amber said indistinctly through her mouthful of noodles. “Next stop: Rustboro.”

“Oh yes, that reminds me. Your mum instructed me to tell you to drop in on your grandfather, if you’re passing through Petalburg City,” Birch said.

Amber made a face. “Oh, right. Him.”

#

Kabu recovered somewhat more quickly than the doctor expected, though she looked sour about it as Kabu pointedly walked out of the clinic and climbed onto his Arcanine’s back. “You’re very fit for a man your age, that helps,” she told him, “but there’s a limit.”

“I’ll keep an eye on him, don’t worry,” Amber said with a bright smile. 

The doctor softened. “I suppose he’d have you watching over him, Champion. Just be careful. And good luck with whatever serious business you’re all up to.” 

They set out from Oldale Town at a sedate pace. Raihan and Amber walked, with Lucario and Flygon trailing behind them, keeping an eye on their surroundings. “There are three legendary birds in Articuno’s set, right?” Amber said once Oldale Town was out of sight. “The last one’s electric?” 

“Zapdos,” Kabu said with a nod. “The strongest of the three.” 

“That’d be fun,” Raihan said. Electric/flying, huh? “Wish I had a Kyurem for that.” 

“I’ve got a Magneton if we need something to soak up electrical attacks,” Amber said, if unenthusiastically. “Hopefully that’d help. Speaking of matchups, I finally saw your match against each other on that ship. And that interview you did after.”

“Only now?” Raihan pretended to look offended. “Didn’t it go viral?”

“Viral in Galar, not in Hoenn.” Amber stuck her tongue out. “Anyway, it was pretty awesome. Did you really lose to Kabu so many times, though?” 

“I wouldn’t call it _many_ ,” Raihan protested, even as Kabu smiled faintly. 

“I mean, monotype _fire_ ,” Amber said, making a face. “No offence.” 

“Full offence, but you should challenge Kabu to a match and see how far you get,” Raihan said, with a smirk. “What with all those steel Pokémon of yours that take double damage from fire.” 

“Hey, I ran a steel team because I like them and because I thought the Hoenn League would be too easy otherwise,” Amber said with a lofty flip of her hair. “If I want to be even more serious, sure, I’ve got other Pokémon.” 

“I thought I had a serious team the first couple of times too,” Raihan said. He patted Kabu on the knee, keeping an eye on Arcanine in case the large Pokémon tried to bite him, but Arcanine didn’t even tense up. Good sign. “Did you pick steel Pokémon because of your aunt?” Steel was Fairy’s weakness. 

“That’s what she thinks. But no, she’s not as big an influence on my life as she likes to believe.” Amber looked over at Kabu. “You’ve got a Heatran.”

Kabu inclined his head, amused. “A core part of any competitive Steel or Fire team.” 

“Where’d you get it?” Amber asked eagerly. “Are there more?” 

“I don’t know,” Kabu admitted. “No one’s ever been able to discern which legendary Pokémon are unique and which are simply very rare.”

“Not even Ho-oh?” Raihan asked.

“Stories about it being a God are likely just stories,” Kabu said, his expression going distant. “After all, it could be hurt. Why would a God allow itself to be hurt?” 

At Amber’s puzzled stare, Raihan said, “Kabu used to be a bit of a legendary Pokémon enthusiast.” 

“I can see that. He has two. The only person I know with more is my mum,” Amber said.

“Latias and Latios and…?” Raihan asked.

Amber ducked her head in pride. “Rayquaza.” 

Raihan whistled. “Well, now I’m even more jealous. Why did she decide to give up all that and become a journalist? Instead of starting up a dragon gym here in Hoenn or something?” 

“Yeah. She said something about how life’s taught her the importance of getting the truth out, but I think it’s just because she didn’t want to take any corporate money,” Amber said with a little shrug. 

“I get that,” Raihan said. 

Leon didn’t wear that ugly cloak of his because he liked it. The money from his sponsorships had allowed Leon to move his family out of a tiny flat in Motostoke and into a spacious mansion in a beautiful town. Raihan had an easier time of it: his parents ran a successful dental practice in Motostoke. They didn’t need money, so he was free to get himself apprenticed to Hammerlocke Gym and slowly learn the ropes, but even then, half of his job now involved making sure that Hammerlocke Gym had enough money from sponsors and fans to stay afloat.

“Yeah. I don’t know about Galar, but here in Hoenn, the position of Champion doesn’t come with a salary or anything, and finding a host city to sponsor a new gym’s pretty hard. Mum went back to school after the League and went travelling after she graduated. Met Dad in Ryme City. They moved back to Hoenn to get married and have me.” Amber studied her nails. “A few companies approached me after I beat the Elite Four, but my mum said I should go back to school.” 

“I’d recommend it,” Kabu said, looking over soberly. “That’s one thing I regret. Not finishing my education.” At Raihan’s sharp glance, Kabu looked away. “Opal forced me to undergo some sort of ‘boot camp’ before sponsoring me for the Galarian League, but I don’t think it helped much at the time. I was still young and impatient. I’ve tried to make up for it since by reading widely.” 

“Aunt Opal sponsored you for the League? As a challenger? Woooow. Either you’re younger than you look or she’s secretly an ancient human-shaped Pokémon. Always suspected it of her. Would explain a lot,” Amber said, squinting at Kabu. 

“She became the leader of Ballonlea Gym fairly early on. Her mother was unwell,” Kabu said. He patted Arcanine’s mane absently. “It was during the early days of Dynamaxing, when power spot usage was still unstable. There was an incident with an amplified rain pattern—she was electrocuted. Never quite recovered.” 

Amber winced. “Oh no! Aunt Opal never said.” 

“I doubt she would’ve. It was a long time ago, and a painful subject,” Kabu said. 

They stopped to camp during the evening when Kabu started to look visibly strained, even though he protested that they should push on to Petalburg City. Amber had never gone camping before, somehow—apparently it wasn’t a thing in Hoenn. She puttered around enthusiastically, getting underfoot even as her Lucario tried to chivvy her away from things, then she hovered excitedly by the cooking pot as Kabu and Kōjin got a fire going. 

“What are we having? Soup? Stew? Wow, this pot is huge! The tent too! And it all came out of your bags? _Technology_.” 

“Collapsible tech’s all the rage in Galar,” Raihan said. He wasn’t much of a cook, so he’d been relegated to tent construction. Duraludon loomed over his shoulder, occasionally rumbling in encouragement, while his Sandaconda patrolled the camp with the Arcanine, keeping an eye on the tall grass and the sky. 

“When all this is done, and you guys get home, please send me a set? Ooh. Smells good already,” Amber said. 

Kabu chuckled from where he was chopping berries. “I haven’t even gotten started.” He worked deftly, combining prepackaged curry sauce with coconut milk and a selection of berries they’d found, allowing Amber to stir as he fanned the flame. A battery-powered collapsible rice cooker bubbled and steamed close by.

“Leon and I used to just throw in whatever we had,” Raihan said, leaning against Duraludon as he watched.

“I’m surprised you’re both still alive,” Kabu said without looking up.

“Yeah, I think our mums are, too.” Some of their early cooking disasters had gotten a lot of online attention: one greenish concoction had even become a meme because of the horrified face that Leon’s then-Charmander was making behind the pot. Leon’s mum had called them within seconds after Raihan had posted the photo, insisting that they ‘dispose’ of the ‘biohazard’ immediately. “Amber, if you don’t camp, what’d you do for food and rest during the Hoenn League?”

“A sleeping roll and a lot of snacks,” Amber admitted. “Wasn’t fancy like this. I feel like I’ve been shortchanging myself and my Pokémon all this time.” 

Dinner was a velvety, spicy curry that was at least as good as some of the restaurants in Galar. Raihan let out an astonished groan at the first bite and had to have seconds. As Amber helped herself to yet another plate, Raihan said, “I’ve eaten your cooking before, and you’ve never made something like this.”

Kabu looked amused. “This was a trifle. I didn’t realise you liked curry so much.” 

“Mate, it’s one of my favourite things in the world.” Raihan ate another bite and groaned again. “Wow. Marry me.” 

Kabu stiffened, but Amber giggled from where she was at the pot. “Mum always said she married Dad after she tried his shrimp and grits.” 

“Grits! My mum makes the best grits, cornbread, and beans. If you’re ever in Motostoke, let me know, and I’ll swing by and introduce you,” Raihan said. They talked food until Amber retreated to her tent, yawning, with Lucario in tow. 

“We should probably get our Pokémon to set up some sort of guard roster,” Raihan said as he helped with clean-up. Kabu offered him a slow nod, and belatedly, Raihan realised Kabu had been quiet for most of the dinner. He did look pale and wan. Shit. “Never mind that. Just get some rest, I’ll settle something with Flygon and the others.” 

Kabu didn’t say anything until all the cooking equipment and supplies had been packed away, then he sat on the grass in front of their tent, looking up at the stars. Raihan settled down behind him, bracketing Kabu with his long legs and resting his chin on Kabu’s head, holding him loosely. He felt Kabu tense up, then relax and lean back against his chest. “Something up?” Raihan asked. 

“Just contemplating the nature of greed.” 

Raihan chuckled. “For someone who’s so disciplined and self-controlled and all that, you’re surprisingly melodramatic deep down. Is that a fire thing?” He kissed the back of Raihan’s head. 

Kabu stroked Raihan’s arm. “I’m a lucky man who doesn’t deserve his luck. Yet I can’t help but wish for more.”

“Like what?” 

“That I was closer to your age, among other things.” 

“Why? I can barely keep up with you now as it is. What with you defeating me repeatedly with a team that mine’s meant to be strong against, then sneaking off to Hoenn to fight gigantic legendary Pokémon, then telling me you once threw down with a bird God…” Raihan pulled Kabu closer, slinging his arms around Kabu’s chest. “I like you just the way you are. Hell, I wish _you_ liked yourself the way you are.” 

“Flaws and all.” 

“Kabu, when you set all your Pokémon free, _twelve of them stuck around_. Doesn’t that say something about you? If it were me, I’d probably be left with nobody.” 

“I doubt that. Flygon and your Duraludon—”

“ _Anyway_ ,” Raihan interrupted, before Kabu could get into an in-depth disagreement with him over his Pokémon’s affections, “I was hoping you might reconsider some of the stuff you said to me on the ship.” His voice didn’t crack, but the words spilt out in a nervous rush. Hell. Raihan hadn’t wanted to come across as needy or something—that sometimes creeped people out. 

“Which stuff?” Kabu asked. 

Raihan shifted over to stare at Kabu incredulously, only to notice that Kabu was smiling faintly. “You have a serious arsehole streak in you. How did I never notice until now?” 

“I used to be much worse. Opal can tell you stories. At one point, I got into the habit of making fire puns, just because I knew it annoyed her.” 

Kabu? Puns? He was so serious. Raihan laughed. “I’d have liked to see that. Sounds hot. Warms the cockles of my heart—”

“Stop that.” Kabu chuckled, twisting around to straddle Raihan’s lap, kissing him over his headband. “Don’t bring back that part of me. We’d all regret it.” 

“I think you’re so scared of making a mistake again that you’ve boxed yourself in,” Raihan said, stroking his palms up and down Kabu’s thighs, admiring the hard muscle under the soft fabric of Kabu’s pants. Pity about going around in plain clothes—Raihan was starting to miss Kabu’s training uniform. The _shorts_ , bloody hell.

“My mistakes had serious consequences.” 

“Sure they did. But you’ve got to let people back in sooner or later.” Raihan poked a finger over Kabu’s heart. “Stuff like disappointment, heartbreak, betrayal and all that. I’d rather feel something than nothing. It hurts, but if you do the other thing, walling yourself away and cutting the bad memories loose, sooner or later you’d be left with nothing. That isn’t any way to live.” 

Kabu went quiet and still. Had Raihan’s wild guess about Kabu’s strange mood been way off the mark? He’d been thinking things over while waiting for Kabu to wake up in Oldale Town, about how guarded Kabu was. Big secrets had a way of eating up the people who sat on them. 

“You make a fair point,” Kabu said, after a while. 

“I do that now and then.” 

Kabu offered him a tired smile. “I’m here in Hoenn to do a favour to repay a friend who was kind to me when I didn’t deserve kindness,” Kabu said, with a nod at Amber’s tent. “And to face my past. After all that, when we return to Galar, let’s talk.” 

That wasn't as definite as Raihan would like, but it was a start. He nodded. “It’s a promise.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The anime is a separate timeline/universe to the games, so I’m just going to ignore it since I’m not familiar with it. In the anime, the Petalburg gym leader, Norman, has two kids (May and Max). I don’t have any frame of reference for the anime, so I’m just going to ignore all of that and instead follow the Ruby storyline. In the game, May or Brendan (depending on your MC) is Birch’s kid, who becomes the MC’s rival. MC has no sibling IIRC. 
> 
> That being said, the game screenshot of Petalburg is like a 6 building town, but in the anime screenshots, it’s a massive city ahaha… which makes sense, it’s called Petalburg CITY… so I’d go with the anime look for that.

Amber spent half an hour in the morning forcing her hair into a bun that she hid under a hat and put on the biggest pair of sunglasses Raihan had ever seen on a little girl. She wrapped a scarf around the bottom half of her face and finished the ensemble by pulling on a long coat and gloves. Kabu looked bewildered. “What’s happening?” he asked. 

“Are we hiding from your grandfather?” Raihan said, having paid attention in Oldale Town. “There’s no disguising me, by the way. I tend to literally stick out from a crowd.” 

“I’m hoping he wasn’t given your descriptions,” Amber said in a muffled voice behind her scarf, though she sounded unenthusiastic about the prospect. 

Kabu frowned at her. “Are you in trouble? Isn’t your grandfather Petalburg’s Gym Leader?” 

“You’ll see,” Amber said gloomily, and was in a bleak mood during the morning.

Petalburg City rose into view in the mid-afternoon as they crested a rise on the route. It was a large city that looked superimposed within a tall forest on first glance—towers and red-roofed buildings were interspersed between banks of greenery and spreading trees. A small river bisected the city, snaking down to the distant mountainous border. Nature grew lushly here, intermingling with stone and steel. 

“Blimey, look at all that!” Raihan whistled. 

Amber turned her head stiffly in her disguise. “Don’t you live in a city rocking a giant metal dragon head over the front gate? This is nothing.” 

“It’s like a giant hedge maze,” Raihan said, undeterred by Amber’s lack of enthusiasm. “C’mon, let’s get a picture.” 

“Nope. No. I’m incognito.” Amber hastily edged to the side of the road. “You’re like, the worst security breach ever. Thankfully, Grandpa doesn’t understand social media, or I would’ve confiscated your Rotom.” 

“There’s a crowd over at the gate,” Kabu said, shading his eyes. “A parade?” 

Amber stiffened. “Oh no, no, no.” 

“What’s wrong?” Raihan quickly put his Rotom phone away, looking up at the clouds with his hand loose at his belt, ready to summon Duraludon. “Zapdos?” 

Amber muttered darkly under her breath. “You’d see. Right then. We can get through this. Just walk through the crowd. Don’t talk to me. Pretend you don’t know me.” 

Kabu looked at Amber with concern. “If there’s trouble ahead, we need to know. We promised your father to keep you safe.” 

“It’s not that kind of trouble,” Amber said darkly. “C’mon. We got to set off early tomorrow from Petalburg. The woods between here and Rustboro City get gnarly once it’s dark. We have to rest up and leave early in the morning.” 

As they got closer to the crowd, Raihan walked forward, thinking to put himself between them and Amber if it came to a confrontation. Kabu and Arcanine looked calm, but Kabu’s hand was hovering over his belt. The crowd clustered near the gate of the city didn’t sound angry as they got closer. They were chanting and cheering, many of them wearing dark yellow shirts with text printed on them. A silver-haired man was standing in front of the crowd, conducting the chants with waving hands. 

Raihan squinted at the shirts. “The… Amber… Stan… Club?” 

Amber groaned and pulled the scarf up over her nose. A few people in front were holding banners printed with a pretty good snap of Amber in a gym uniform, grinning as she hefted an Ultra ball in one hand, her Ferrothorn right behind her. Raihan started to laugh. “Celebrity not much to your taste?” he asked Amber. 

“I’m going to kill you,” Amber muttered. “Shut up and stay down.” 

“That’s not physically possible for me,” Raihan said, taking a grinning selfie of himself and the crowd. 

The silver-haired man turned around. He looked like he was maybe Kabu’s age or older, wrinkles crowded against the edges of his eyes and the huge smile on his blocky face. ‘President of the Amber Stan Club’ was written on his shirt in block letters, and a shirt with ‘Vice-President of the Amber Stan Club’ adorned the massive brown primate Pokémon beside him. The Slaking sniffed the air, yawned, and rolled ponderously onto its knuckles, ambling forward toward them. 

Raihan tensed up, but the Pokémon ignored him, hooting in delight as it knuckled toward Amber. Her shoulders slumped. “Knew I couldn’t fool you,” she muttered. The Slaking rumbled with laughter, picking Amber up gently and swinging her through the air in a circle. She giggled, legs kicking. “Okay, okay! I’m not a baby anymore. Serious. I’m going to be sick.” 

“You must be Norman,” Kabu said as the silver-haired man jogged over. 

“And you’re Kabu and Raihan, I presume? Welcome to Petalburg—it’s a pleasure to meet you both. My daughter said you might be arriving today.” Norman looked searchingly at Kabu. “Are you feeling all right? I heard about the incident with Articuno from Birch. There’s a hospital in Petalburg City. The Head of Surgery, Doctor Suyi, is a personal friend of mine. Feel free to call on her if you need anything.” 

Norman didn’t sound unhinged or anything. What was Amber afraid of? Sure, maybe the homecoming crowd was a bit much, but well, Amber _was_ the Hoenn Champion. “He’d say he’s fine, but he needs more rest,” Raihan said before Kabu could demur. “We’ll find a hotel in the City and get out of your hair.” 

“Oh no, there’s plenty of space at my house,” Norman said earnestly, “and you’d both be welcome.” 

“We wouldn’t want to intrude,” Kabu said, with a nod at Amber. “You probably have a lot to talk about. Amber, we’ll see you in the morning at the entrance to Route 104.” 

“Traitors,” Amber growled, still trying to get free of Slaking. It set her down carefully in front of Norman, who hugged her tight, picked her up, and also swung her around with a laugh. “ _Grandpa_! You’re embarrassing me. Again. What is with all these people? Can we never have a normal family reunion ever?”

“Look at my little baby girl! Not even grown up and already Hoenn Champion!” Norman crowed. “What a talented young lady! Full of grace and spirit and beauty! The best trainer in our generation!” 

“Mum also became Champion around my age,” Amber complained, shoving at Norman’s chin. “Chill out, grandpa. This isn’t even the first time for you.” 

“And modest too! Grandpa is so proud!” Norman burst into tears while clinging to his granddaughter, which Raihan took as his cue to escape the vicinity with Kabu in tow. He started laughing uncontrollably once they were clear of the crowd and well into Petalburg, leaning against the Arcanine and gasping for air. 

“Oh, man. I’m so glad my grandparents aren’t like that,” Raihan said when he could breathe. 

“Were they trainers?” Kabu asked, looking back over his shoulder.

“Nah. They were dentists too. There were Pokémon at home, I grew up with a Growlithe, but I’m the first trainer my family ever produced.” Raihan shook his head, chuckling. “I think my parents were hoping that I’d get discouraged early, go home, become a dentist, and take over the family business.” 

“They weren’t excited by your success?” Kabu said, surprised. 

“They were. Mum recorded all our matches. Leon’s, too. Leon’s family didn’t use to live in that big mansion—they’d come over to ours whenever Leon or I had a match on and watch it on our telly. Make a big party out of it. It just isn’t a huge deal for my family overall. Not like Amber’s or Leon’s. Even now, I think gramps is hoping that I’d get around to the family business someday.” Raihan snickered. 

“I can’t imagine you as a dentist.” Kabu smiled. 

Raihan walked closer to the Arcanine and curled his arm loosely over Kabu’s waist, grinning and baring his teeth. “Why’s that?” He leaned in playfully. “Don’t I have a nice smile?”

“You have a huge ego, certainly,” Kabu said, pushing a palm into Raihan’s face. “A better trait for a gym leader than a dentist.” 

Arcanine swatted its large plume of a tail at Raihan. Duly warned, Raihan eased off, though he kept his arm around Kabu’s waist. “You don’t have a large ego,” Raihan said. 

“You’d be surprised.” Kabu looked at the tall banks of trees around them, sandwiched between buildings—and sometimes through buildings as well. “The years I spent in the Minor League after a string of losses—that hurt my pride.”

“It was only for a couple of years or so, right?” Raihan hadn’t yet become Gym Leader at that point and had been busy juggling school and training. “Milo and Nessa have fallen off the Major League before. Bea and Gordie too, and they’re higher down the sequence than Motostoke. They’re always trading places with Allister and Melony.” 

“You haven’t. Or Opal, or Piers.” 

“Piers is a bit of a special case,” Raihan said. Spikemuth wasn’t a popular gym, since it couldn’t handle Dynamaxed Pokémon, and since it wasn’t popular, it couldn’t attract many sponsors or donations. Nobody wanted to be stuck with a gym like that. “And Opal is scary.” 

“What about you?” Kabu said, with a slight smile.

“Eh, well, if you want to believe the haters, it’s because I cheat by refusing to field a monotype team,” Raihan said. He chuckled, trailing off when Kabu tensed up. 

“People think that?” 

“Well, yes? I’m the only gym leader with a mixed bag for a team. Hell, my usual line-up only has two dragon-types in it.” 

“The criticism’s unfair.” Kabu was scowling. “You’re not cheating at all. It isn’t against the rules to field a mixed team.” 

Raihan hastily patted Kabu on the hip. “Don’t sweat it. I’ve seen it all. Price of fame, huh?” Kabu didn’t look convinced. Trying to change the subject, Raihan said, “Have you been here before?” 

“When I was younger, yes.” 

“Where can we get a good feed around here?” Raihan asked. 

“Hotel first,” Kabu said, nudging Arcanine down a street. They checked into a boutique hotel near the river that was just off a street full of ramen shops. Raihan salivated with anticipation as Kabu spoke to the concierge to book a room, looking up reviews of the closest shops on his Rotom. As they handed over their bags to be brought up, Kabu glanced at Raihan to make a quip—and went very still. 

Puzzled, Raihan turned around. A thin, pale man with greying hair around Kabu’s age walked through the front door of the hotel, adjusting his black glasses. He wore a red coat over a black shirt and black pants, and had a lined, grim face. 

“Fancy seeing you here,” the stranger told Kabu. “Old friend.” 

“An interesting coincidence,” Kabu said. 

“Oh, you know life has few coincidences. What was that you liked to say? The strong make their own luck?” 

Kabu glanced at Raihan. “Go and have lunch. I’ll see you later at dinner.” 

Raihan looked dubiously over at the stranger. “You sure?” 

“ _Go_.” 

Raihan flinched at the bite in Kabu’s tone. It hurt to hear, but he managed to grin and wave, slouching out of the hotel. “Who’s that?” asked the stranger as Raihan stepped outside and ducked quietly out of sight of the glass frontage. 

“It’s none of your business.” 

“It was a rhetorical question. I know who he is. Besides, you’ve both been joined at the hip since entering Petalburg. Funny. I didn’t think gangly puppies like that were your type.” 

“Shows how much we knew about each other,” Kabu said in a flat tone. “What do you want?” 

“To have a little chat. For old times’ sake and all that.” When Kabu was silent, the stranger said bitterly, “What have you got to fear? I have no Pokémon. You? You’re a big shot in the Galarian Major League, the leader of Motostoke City’s gym.”

“All right,” Kabu said. Raihan hastily ducked out of sight in an alley, flattening himself behind a dumpster. The sliding doors to the hotel opened and closed, footsteps easing away to the left. Raihan waited for a while and snuck back over to the entrance of the alley, peeking out. Kabu and the stranger were picking through the late lunch crowd, heading down the street. 

His Drakloak cheeped softly when summoned, looking up at him attentively. “Hey, girl,” Raihan whispered. “Same game, except on a higher difficulty setting. There’s another guy with Kabu, we’re on a busy street, and you’re going to be a unique sight in this city. We can’t get spotted by anyone.” 

Drakloak nodded excitedly and peeked out of the alley. Cheeping, she beckoned with her tail and floated out. Raihan followed, trusting the Drakloak’s instincts, and grinned as they were blocked from the main street by a posse of Machamps towing a wagon stacked high with boxes. In a big city full of trees and large Pokémon where Raihan wasn’t a known celebrity, it wasn’t impossible to follow Kabu and the stranger as they meandered through the city. Not that they went too far. After a few blocks, Kabu and the stranger walked into an alley.

Raihan glanced down at the Drakloak. She floated through a hedge and disappeared into the wall, then reappeared after a few minutes with a nod. Walking over to the mouth of the alley, Raihan peered in cautiously. Kabu and the stranger were gone.

Shit. Raihan was about to charge down the alley when the Drakloak cheeped softly and floated past old posters, pointing its tail at something on the wall. It was a faded sign for a bar next to a grey door. The sound of glasses clinking inside and people talking indicated it was open for business. “They went in there?” Raihan whispered. The Drakloak nodded vigorously and sank through the floor. It reappeared after a moment and floated further down, pointing at a spot in the wall. 

“That’s my girl,” Raihan said, though that wasn’t going to help much. He couldn’t hear anything through the wall, and he’d get caught by anyone leaving. The Drakloak sank back into the ground as Raihan frowned at the new obstacle. He was considering just heading right into the bar and trying to sit quietly in a corner when his Drakloak whistled softly at him from the forked end of the alley. She’d found a back door. 

It was locked, but that was easily fixed—the Drakloak floated through, then pushed a key out under the door. It’d been hanging on a hook on the inner wall. Raihan replaced the key as he looked around. He was in a narrow corridor with a few doors — bathrooms to the left and right, access to the main bar at the end, presumably. The Drakloak was floating by a door just before it, pointing at it with her tail. 

Raihan walked in as softly as he could. It more of a supply closet than a room, stacked full with cleaning supplies. As he closed the door, the Drakloak floated up to a closed ventilation pane. The Dreepy on her head carefully eased it open with its mouth. 

“—age hasn’t taught you subtlety,” said the stranger, his voice faint but audible. Raihan gave the Drakloak a quick double thumbs-up, and she floated down to snuggle happily against his chest. 

“It hasn’t taught _you_ anything, if you’re the reason behind all these possessed legendary Pokémon,” Kabu said. 

Was the stranger Maxie? Maxie—it had to be Maxie—let out a dry laugh. “You think I’m the culprit? If I could control legendary Pokémon, why did I ever need you?” 

“You’ve never been one for getting your hands dirty, I hear. I thought a Hoenn Champion put paid to all that.” 

“And the new one is under your thrall.” 

Kabu sniffed. “Hardly that. What do you want?” 

“I want many things in my old age. A better world, maybe. A future where human civilisation isn’t so caught up in cycles of violence. This system of Leagues and trainers and all that is ridiculous. This culture that venerates conflict and all these forces of nature? Pathetic. Maybe humanity is better without Pokémon.”

Raihan tensed up, but Kabu merely chuckled flatly. “That’s your plan? Get rid of all the Pokémon in the world?” 

“No.” Maxie sounded irritated. “It isn’t possible; I know that. Life isn’t fair that way. Just look at the way it turned out for both of us. I’m back to scratching by like a rat in the shadows, while you—you’re a celebrity, loved by many, living it up in another region. Tch.” 

Kabu was silent for a time. “I never meant you any harm,” he said after a while. “You were my first friend. My only friend, for all of the early years of our lives. I value that still, even after all that we have done.” 

“You set back my plans by over a decade, you fool. What was the point of what you did in the forest? Did you save anyone?” Maxie let out a harsh bark of laughter. “And after that… setting all those Pokémon free? Entei, Moltres, Heatran, Volcanion, Reshiram… what a damned waste. Yes, I know what you did. I saw you letting them all loose, wasting years of effort. When I was trying to make my way back through the woods after the fire burned out.” 

“You were there?” Kabu sounded subdued. 

“Out of some damned fool idea that I might still be able to save you, not that you needed it. Idiot. You selfish idiot. Those Pokémon were half mine! You’d never have caught them without me. Nor are you anything special without them. I knew then that you weren’t who I knew or needed any longer. So I left. To build something new.” A glass clattered loudly against the table. Raihan nearly flinched into shelving but for Drakloak hastily grabbing him by his shirt. 

Kabu exhaled. “You’re right and wrong. Yes. I would never have caught them without you. I’m sorry. You should’ve had a say in what I did with them. And yet. We never did deserve their trust, given who we were and what we had done. Letting them go was the right thing to do.” 

“I thought to warn you off, because once you were also my friend, my only friend,” Maxie said in a flat, cold voice, “but I don’t see anything left of that friend in you. Go back to Galar if you know what’s good for you.” 

“I’d say the same,” Kabu said evenly. “I’m warning you now, because of what we were to each other before. Whatever you’re up to, let it be. Retire quietly. Enjoy the rest of your life, wherever that might be.” 

“Goodbye, Kabu.” A chair scraped back. One set of footsteps retreated through the bar, and the door opened and closed. Raihan frowned to himself, petting the Drakloak. He’d wait for Kabu to leave, then he’d have to—

“Raihan,” Kabu said. There was a staccato tapping on the wall between them. “I know you’re there. Come here.” 

Busted.


	9. Chapter 9

Raihan assumed a contrite expression as Kabu led them to a ramen shop nearby. The multi-storey shop was quiet now that the lunch hour was past, and they got a seat on an upper floor that didn’t have any other patrons. The thick bone broth was richer and tastier than the ones Raihan had tried over in Slateport City, the handmade noodles firmer, the slices of roast meat melting on his tongue. 

It was hard to keep up an air of repentance with something like this put in front of him. Besides, Kabu didn’t look angry. He smiled ruefully as Raihan started inhaling the ramen, hunched over the bowl and the platter of pan-fried dumplings on the side. “You have a very flexible concept of privacy,” Kabu told him. 

Raihan held up a finger. “One. You’re still recovering from nearly drowning, and I was worried about you. Two, I didn’t like that guy on sight, and as it turns out, my instincts were right. Three, I outrank you on the Galarian League, so I don’t have to listen to you.” He grinned. 

“Cheeky,” Kabu said. He picked up a dumpling with his chopsticks, dipping it into chilli oil and black vinegar. 

“That thing about not having Pokémon… He isn’t a trainer at all?” Raihan asked. “I thought the two of you once went catching Fletchlings together.”

Kabu shook his head. “He is a trainer. He isn’t as talented as you, Leon, or Amber, but… I don’t know what he meant.” 

“And how does he not know that you still have Heatran and Volcanion?” Raihan lowered his voice. “That match we fought on the ship went viral.” Albeit not in Hoenn, but still.

“Most people my age don’t tend to pay attention to social media,” Kabu pointed out. “As it is, my trainers maintain the official Motostoke Gym accounts. Including mine.”

“I figured,” Raihan said. The Motostoke Gym accounts tended to be full of puns and fire-related memes, interspersed with candid snaps of Kabu’s training routines. “What a weird guy. Meeting you here and trying to threaten you, when we’ve already taken down Moltres and Articuno. What else has he or his team got, Zapdos? Bring it.” 

“Hrm.” Kabu picked slowly through his ramen. He was only halfway through the bowl when Raihan finished his and ordered a second one with tempura toppings. As the serving staff appeared with the new order, Kabu said, “I’m beginning to think that we’re missing something important.” 

“I think that we should have kicked his arse in that bar. Or outside the bar. Strongly encouraged him to retire permanently, maybe,” Raihan said, wolfing down the prawns. 

Kabu pulled a face. “I’m still considering the matter.”

“By the way, how’d you find me out?” Raihan was pretty sure he’d been quiet.

Kabu gave him an amused look. “How did I notice that I was being followed by a two-metre tall man with a bright green headscarf and his ghost dragon with an equally bright yellow belly? I wonder.” 

Whoop. Well, in for a penny and all that. “Who was the friend you met in Serenis City?” 

Kabu didn’t look surprised at the question. “An ex-Admin in Team Magma called Courtney. She left Hoenn after Team Magma was disbanded and called on me at Motostoke Gym out of the blue. Challenged me to a fight. After I defeated her, we kept in contact.” 

“Became friends? Just like that?” Weird. 

“Not exactly. Not enemies, in any case. I think she just wanted to satisfy a curiosity—Maxie told his Admins about me. Courtney and I exchanged contact details, but never stayed in touch until I had to pass through Serenis City. I wanted to know if she’d been talking to Maxie.” Kabu glanced briefly out of the window. “She hadn’t. As far as she knew, Team Magma no longer existed. She parted ways with Maxie years ago.”

“Maybe she was lying. Who else could’ve told Maxie that you were on that ship? Maxie didn’t know you had Heatran and Volcanion. That means he didn’t watch the match, which means someone must’ve told him you were aboard the _Silver Marlin_.” 

Kabu looked at Raihan. “Perhaps.” 

“Come on. You still don’t think they’re behind all this? I know Maxie used to be your friend, but making trouble isn’t exactly a new thing for him, is it? Besides, you heard what he said in the bar. A world without Pokémon.” 

“I suppose I…” Kabu trailed off, poking at his ramen. “He never used to hate Pokémon like that. I wonder what happened. If he somehow wiped out all Pokémon, the global ecosystem would collapse. Everyone would suffer. It’s not a reasonable goal—he himself said it wasn’t possible.” 

Maybe Maxie was now far more than several cards short of a full deck after he’d suffered a serious thumping at the hands of Amber’s mum, and Kabu just didn’t want to see it. “We’ll find out more once we reach Rustboro City,” Raihan said, lifting his bowl to slurp down the soup. 

Screams from the street outside startled Raihan into fumbling the bowl, though it thankfully clattered on the table instead of all over his lap. Kabu strode over to the nearest window and leant out, grimaced, and hurried down the stairs. Shit. Raihan wiped his mouth hastily and followed. He made it down just in time to watch Kabu toss some money onto the cashier and rush out of the restaurant, summoning his Arcanine as he went and climbing onto its back. 

Panicking people and their Pokémon were rushing past on the street, buffeting Raihan as they pushed by. Kabu’s Arcanine was deftly bounding forward, narrowly avoiding people as it headed for a vast iron-grey stormfront that was rolling slowly through the trees and the buildings, swallowing them as it went. Streaks of lightning crackled through the crowd, thunder rumbling through the air and occasionally drowning out the crowds. Cursing under his breath, Raihan called his long-suffering Hydreigon and climbed onto the dragon’s back. 

Other trainers were trying to get through the crowd with less luck. “Help evacuate people to safety!” Raihan yelled at them as Hydreigon caught up with Arcanine. He didn’t wait to see if they obeyed, hunching down over Hydreigon’s back as the winds kicked up all around them, the storm rumbling as it worsened. 

A bolt of lightning struck the flank of a building, shattering its glass windows and raining it the fragments down on the people below. Some of the glass bounced off a transparent protect, but the rest tore into the unlucky scrum. Pokémon bellowed in fear, trying to carry or nudge the injured to safety through screams and moans of pain. “We’ve got to get Zapdos out of the city,” Raihan called down at Kabu, who nodded. 

Chain lightning struck the street and danced across the asphalt, earthing itself harmlessly in an Electabuzz that stepped into the way, the large yellow and black striped Pokémon standing firm to shield a group of school kids. Its trainer started chivvying the kids away even as more trainers made it through the crowd, electric Pokémon flickering out of pokéballs to form a loose buffer before the storm. The ragtag line of defence was the last Raihan saw before Hydreigon flew headlong into the stormbank. 

Kabu was barely visible beneath him through the unnaturally thick cloud, and cold rain pelted them through the bursts of light that crackled overhead. Raihan summoned Flygon—her sandstorm should override the thunderstorm and give them a reprieve. Flygon flickered out of her pokéball, her wings singing as she darted in front of Hydreigon. She let out a puzzled whistle. Sand was kicking up around them, battering them through the cloud cover, but the stormfront wasn’t easing in the least. Worse, the visibility was dropping even further, choked with sand. 

“Raihan!” Kabu yelled from somewhere below. Raihan didn’t need to be told twice. He recalled Flygon even as they broke through the whirling clouds and crackling lightning, into the eye of the storm. 

They’d come out into what was left of a public park. A stone fountain lay shattered, water spitting out from the debris and pooling out onto the pavement. Uprooted trees and bushes fetched up against abandoned vehicles and stalls, a vortex of destruction centred on a bird-shaped heart of lightning that hovered high above. Raihan couldn’t look at it without hurting his eyes. Unlike Moltres and Articuno, Zapdos was no longer bird-like save as a vague shape. Lightning crackled and spat from its body, snaking over the wet concrete, darting into the thick whorl of cloud cover that spun around them, as tall as the skyscrapers. 

So much for moving it out of the city.

Heatran materialised with a heavy impact on the ground and a roar of challenge, even as Amber and Norman charged through the clouds at the opposite end of the park. They were trailed by Norman’s Slaking and a huge steel-horned grey Pokémon with a sturdy tail and thick trunk-like hind legs. The Aggron circled in front of Amber, hunching down protectively and bellowing a challenge as Amber spotted them and waved.

“Spread out,” Kabu called over to Amber and Norman. Norman nodded, moving with his Slaking to his left while Amber and Aggron circled to the right. Raihan dismissed Hydreigon and called out Duraludon, the steel dragon roaring as it looked up at the bird of light, eager for battle. 

“We’ve got to resolve this quickly,” Norman yelled at them over the wind. “Too many people are already hurt.”

“Wait. I can’t make out an embedded stone,” Kabu said, trying to squint against the harsh light. 

Amber growled and stepped forward, waving Aggron into an attack. “We can’t wait. People are dying out there. Aggron!” Her Aggron roared in acknowledgement, lumbering forward and stamping one steel-toed foot onto the road. Stone spiked out from the grass beneath Zapdos, rumbling as it speared up into the light. 

Zapdos didn’t even cry out. It glowed more brightly, until Raihan had to look away and squeeze his eyes shut, briefly blinded. “Get down!” Norman shouted. Raihan ducked down behind Duraludon instinctively. The attack didn’t come—the warning hadn’t been for him. Amber screamed as Aggron roared in agony, stone shattering somewhere in her direction. Raihan looked up just in time to see pale wings of light scythe out above where Amber had dived under a park bench, the steel backrest freshly sheared in half. Aggron fainted, disappearing into one of the balls on Amber’s belt. 

Heatran spat out a volley of dark sludge. The intense light dimmed as the toxic acid ate into something at its heart. Within the light, something amorphous shuddered as the poison took effect. At Raihan’s sharp gesture, Duraludon growled and stamped the ground, aiming his spike of stone toward the shimmer. This time, Zapdos shrieked. Lightning forked out of the sky, earthing down over Duraludon. Light crackled over Duraludon’s steel flanks as he groaned but stood firm, panting in pain. 

The Slaking roared. A boulder materialised in its hands, which it grunted as it hefted at the shimmer. The rock shattered and the bird of light flinched, the brightness fading until Raihan could make out the spiked outline of a gigantic bird. Zapdos shrieked, floating higher somehow without flapping its wings. 

“No stone,” Raihan said, shading his eyes. Not one that he could see. Muttering a quiet apology to Flygon, he retrieved Duraludon and sent her out with a circling gesture. Flygon nodded, a sandstorm kicking up and obscuring her as she darted up to the disoriented lightning bird. Amber was back on her feet, her Magneton blinking and spinning in front of her. It darted in front of the Slaking as Zapdos turned on it, lightning forking out of the storm only to earth itself harmlessly in the Magneton. 

Frustrated, Zapdos hissed, spinning higher, darting out of the way of another rock spike from Heatran. The storm around them began to churn, the wind kicking up, pulling debris and rock up into the air around them. Raihan yelped as he started to slide against the stone, quickly clinging on to a bench as the wind grew even stronger. “Kabu!” he called, looking around wildly. Kabu was holding on to a lamppost, wide-eyed as lightning started to earth itself wildly all around them. Heatran brought up a shimmering shield just before a bolt forked toward it, and Raihan ducked and curled himself into as small a space as possible as another bolt sizzled overhead. 

Slaking hooted in distress. Amber screamed as she was torn off the ground, spinning as she was pulled into the air. “Amber!” Norman cried, running forward, but the Slaking grabbed him, still hooting as it lumbered ponderously toward Amber. Not that she needed their help. Magneton whirred and shot itself forward at Amber’s beckoning gesture, the three steel sphere-shaped Magnemites that made up its composite body coming apart at her command. Two bore up against Amber, bearing her down safely to the ground, while the other hovered a few feet away. It caught a bolt of lightning with a whirr of defiance, earthing it away at a safe distance. 

Flygon struck, slamming the edge of a wing into the back of Zapdos’ head. The lightning bird shrieked. A wave of crackling electricity pulsed outward and Flygon wailed as it dropped out of the sky, paralysed. Raihan fumbled for his belt to recall her and nearly dropped the pokéball as lightning crackled onto the ground just a hand’s breadth away. “Bloody _hell_ ,” Raihan yelped, scrambling back even as Kabu grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and hauled him with surprising strength behind the Heatran. 

“Flygon must have seen something on the back of Zapdos’ head,” Kabu said, tossing out a pokéball. Kōjin spun out, dodging lightning as she darted up into the sky—only to fall to another wave of electricity, twitching and squawking in distress on the grass. Before Norman, Slaking grunted as electricity crackled up its fur, unable to move. 

“Flash cannon!” Amber commanded. A flash of light speared out from the Magneton, lancing Zapdos through the throat. Zapdos shrieked and glowed, gaining height, and Amber yelped and flattened herself on the ground as wings of light scythed through her Magneton. It keened as it fainted, subsiding to the brace at her belt even as Zapdos grew brighter and brighter yet. 

“Oh no,” Kabu whispered, as light seared away all colour around them to unsubtle shadows, the world subsuming into a roar of sound as the sky above them split open around a pillar of lightning. Raihan pushed himself away from Kabu, sprinting across the park toward Amber, knowing he’d be too late even as she looked up, wide-eyed with horror. 

The light burned everything away. Raihan’s ears were ringing dully as he stumbled and fell on his face next to something that whimpered and tried to pull him up to his feet. It was Flygon, still shaking from electrical tremors. Spots danced across his eyes as Raihan struggled up to his knees, his heart in his mouth.

Norman slowly collapsed onto his knees, his body blackened and charred, his hands falling loosely to his sides. Amber scrambled up from where Norman had tossed her out of harm’s way and wailed. “No… no… Grandpa!” She rushed toward the body, but Raihan scooped her up and carried her behind a bush as lightning struck the ground around them.

“ _Well_ ,” boomed a distorted voice from all around them, ringing in their minds, “ _This has been invigorating._ ” 

“Who… Maxie?” Raihan glared around them. “Show yourself, you coward!” 

Laughter felt like it was jarring the bones themselves in his head as Zapdos floated closer. “ _I could kill you all now_ ,” said the voice, “ _But I’m getting bored. Hand that Heatran and Volcanion over, and I’ll leave. No one else has to get hurt._ ”

“Don’t do it, Kabu,” Raihan yelled. He flinched and flattened himself down over Amber as lightning sparked overhead, frying the tree behind them and setting it alight. 

“ _Time’s a-wasting_ ,” said the voice. “ _The storm’s getting bigger all around us. Do you think a few pathetic trainers are enough to save everyone in Petalburg City? Choose._ ” 

“All right,” Kabu said. “Show yourself. I’ll hand them over.” 

“ _Show myself?_ ” Zapdos floated down before Kabu, holding out one taloned claw. “ _No need for that._ ”

“You could have asked for them before. There was no need for all this.” 

“ _Would I have flushed you into the open without this little show? Hand them over. Now._ ” 

Kabu glanced at Heatran for a long moment and recalled it into a ball. He plucked another from his belt and placed them carefully onto Zapdos’ claw, which closed tightly around them. Laughter shook through their minds as the Zapdos rose into the air, rapidly gaining speed until it shot up into the sky and disappeared as a spark of light. The storm around them died down, debris thumping onto the ground. 

“Kabu,” Raihan said, shocked. “Your Heatran and Volcanion—”

Kabu ignored him, hurrying over to Norman instead, looking grim. “We need to get him to the hospital,” Kabu said, pulling out his Rotom phone. 

“No,” Amber whispered, pointing. The pokéballs on Norman’s belt were deactivating. Slaking shook itself free of paralysis and howled with grief, angling its face up to the empty sky. An Obstagoon, a Staraptor, and a Chansey materialised around it, looking confused for a moment before noticing the body. The Obstagoon growled, sniffing at Norman, then lowering its sleek black and white head and shaking itself out, loping away down the road with a mournful howl. The Staraptor glanced at Amber searchingly before darting up into the sky, and the Chansey waddled over, petting Amber gently on the knee before making its way down an alley. Only the Slaking remained, moaning softly to itself as Amber began to cry. 

Raihan stroked her back as she wept, unable to think of anything to say as emergency services made it to them. A doctor hurried over, doing a horrified double-take before examining the body with a fatalistic air. Raihan gently pulled Amber away from the scene as Kabu walked over to talk to one of the medics. She dug in her heels and sobbed as he picked the little girl up and rocked her. 

“Let’s call your mum, OK?” Raihan said. Amber sniffled and handed over her Rotom, burying her face in his shirt. Raihan got the Rotom to work and had a quiet conversation. When he was done, Kabu walked up to them. At Raihan’s hopeful look, Kabu gave a half-shake of his head. 

“Shit,” Raihan muttered. This had been a fucking disaster and a _half_.


	10. Chapter 10

Raihan looked up from where he sat at the edge of Kabu’s bed as a red-haired woman let herself into the ward. “How’s Amber doing?” Raihan asked, subdued. He held Kabu’s hand loosely in his lap as Kabu slept. 

“She’s finally asleep.” Amber’s mum was a little taller than Kabu and reminded Raihan of Bea, self-assured and sturdily built under her sharply tailored pantsuit. She walked over and held out a hand. “You’re Raihan, right? I’m Pearl.” 

“Wish we could’ve met in better circumstances,” Raihan said, shaking her hand solemnly. “I’m sorry about Norman. We didn’t get to talk much, but he seemed like a great dude. He loved his granddaughter to bits.” 

“He went the way he’d have wanted to go,” Pearl said, low and fierce. Her eyes blazed for a moment, then she looked away and gritted her teeth until she calmed down. “I should’ve been here.” 

“The attack was a surprise,” Raihan reminded her. 

“I think whoever was behind it was tracking you. They left when they took Heatran and Volcanion, didn’t they?” 

“Blame us if you like,” Raihan said. He’d been regretting the string of selfies he’d been taking, the casual way they’d still walked right into Petalburg city after getting attacked twice before. Somehow, he’d never imagined that Maxie would let loose in the middle of a _city_. “I knew I should’ve kicked Maxie’s ass in that bar.” 

Pearl looked keenly at Raihan. “Maybe.” 

“It would’ve stopped all of this.” Raihan stroked Kabu’s wrist. “Norman wouldn’t have died.” 

“I read your statements.” Pearl sat down on the chair beside the bed. “The voice said they’d wanted to flush Kabu out into the open. Yet by your own words, Kabu met him earlier in the day. Not that much earlier, at that. What was stopping him from leading Kabu into a quiet part of the city, surprising him, and taking what he wanted at that point?” 

“I try not to understand how the minds of total arseholes work,” Raihan said, though he’d been wondering that himself. “Maybe mass destruction was the point? A show of power or something? Though when Kabu was talking to him, I thought Maxie didn’t even know that he still had Heatran and Volcanion. I don’t know.” 

Pearl gave him a tired smile. “Unfortunately, trying to understand arseholes is a necessary part of my current occupation. Is… how is Kabu doing?”

“Exhausted. He should’ve still been resting over at Oldale Town after that near-drowning, but he’s stubborn as all hell.” Raihan exhaled, rubbing a hand over his temple. “Damn it all.” He’d never felt so much like a total failure before until now. 

Pearl looked at him soberly. “All of you tried your best.”

“It wasn’t enough.” 

“So we’ll try again.” Pearl handed Raihan a small brown flute with a wing-like extension at the end. “I’m lending you this for now. When you’re ready, blow on it. Latias and Latios will come. They’d take you to wherever you need to go next.” 

“Won’t you need that?” Raihan said, surprised. 

“I’m going to follow a few other leads of my own, and I don’t need them for that. There’ve been rumours of a secret laboratory in Hoenn, one trying to mimic the Dynamax phenomenon on Pokémon but without a power spot. I know it’s located somewhere within either an island or a forest; I’ve been getting close to figuring out where. I’m going to meet a possible source later today.”

“Not in Rustboro City?” 

Pearl shook her head. “Birch means well, but his random scans aren’t always much to go on compared to solid, boots-on-the-ground journalism. That being said, we do still need someone to check out every lead, no matter how small.” 

“All right,” Raihan said. They could do that. He twirled the flute in his hands, studying it. “Are you sure that lending me this is going to be safe? We _are_ going up against a legendary Pokémon collector. He might try to steal Latias and Latios.” 

Pearl let out a dry laugh. “I’d like to see him catch them. They’d be fine, and they won’t listen to people they don’t like. The flute’s just a means of communicating with them. It doesn’t control them—they don’t belong to me. Or to anyone.” 

“Not gonna lie—I’d be tempted not to return this to you at the end.” Raihan wasn’t in much of a mood to joke, and the quip landed wanly. 

Pearl chuckled anyway as she got to her feet. “You don’t strike me as a thief. Even if I think Latias took a shine to you on the way here.” She sobered as she smoothed down her clothes. “Good luck.” 

Raihan settled in the chair when Pearl was gone, closing his eyes and trying to get comfortable. He wasn’t sure how long he slept, but he woke up with a cramped neck during the middle of a confused dream where he was chased through nameless alleyways by giant birds. As he rubbed his neck and yawned, Kabu looked at him briefly from where he was standing by the window. 

“You should still be resting,” Raihan said, sitting up and stretching. 

“I’ve rested enough. That’s the Eon Flute, I presume? Good. We should be on our way.” Kabu gestured at the flute on the side table. 

“You know it?”

“Heard of it, yes. Seen it—not until now. Latias and Latios are famous for being impossible to catch, given their natural speed, but they’re rumoured to be willing to listen to people who summon them with that.” 

“It’s on temporary loan,” Raihan confessed. He put the flute in his belt and walked over to Kabu, pulling him over and hunching down to press his mouth against Kabu’s throat. “Everything all right?”

Kabu tickled a hand up Raihan’s throat to lightly grasp the back of his neck. “Not particularly.” 

“We’ll get your Pokémon back.” 

Kabu glanced up at him soberly. “I’m not so worried about that. I’ve never faced an opponent before with no regard for the fundamental rules of engagement. Attacking trainers… worse, attacking civilians…” Kabu trailed off. “What’s the current casualty count?” 

“It could’ve been worse. It’s a weekday, and the late lunch crowd was thinning out.” 

“Raihan.” 

“Two deaths, including Norman. A forty-year-old lady was shoved back by the wind and hit her head too hard against the curb. Her friends got her to the hospital immediately, but she was pronounced dead on arrival. Thirty-three wounded, eight critically.” 

Kabu looked grim, his hand falling away from Raihan as he hugged himself tightly. “This must be stopped.” 

“The police weren’t able to locate Maxie in Petalburg City. He’s gone to ground—probably escaped during the mess.” When Kabu stayed quiet, Raihan said, “Pearl said we should keep heading to Rustboro City. She’s going to follow a few other leads on her end.”

“Good idea.” Kabu started to pull away. “We should get to Rustboro now—we’ve wasted enough time. I think the Zapdos only retreated because we did it sufficient damage.”

“So we could’ve gotten rid of it.” 

“Time was of the essence—I was hoping that Norman could still be saved.” Kabu clenched his hands tightly and unclenched them, closing his eyes. “How are you holding up?” 

“I don’t know,” Raihan admitted. He’d been swinging between exhaustion, bewilderment, grief, and rage all through the police statements and beyond, and now he just felt numb. “Mainly, I’d like to put a stop to all this. I’m in a right proper mood to do some arse-kicking.” 

“Have you called home?” 

“Yeah, I talked to my parents and Leon. Figured I’d get in before they saw the news and freaked out. Not that it helped much on that front.” Raihan grimaced. “Leon was all for coming down to Hoenn himself, but there’s no easy way for him to get here with the _Silver Marlin_ under repair. I told him that we could handle it.” 

“I hope so,” Kabu said. 

“I had our bags and stuff brought over if you need a change of clothes,” Raihan said, nodding to the stuff in the corner. “One of Nor—one of the Petalburg trainers said they’d look after our things while we’re gone. I thought you’d want to leave as soon as possible.” 

Kabu nodded. He changed his shirt and pulled on his black coat with the red lining, while Raihan cleaned up quickly. He was feeling marginally better about life as they got discharged from the hospital and walked out of the main door. It was an ugly hour of the morning, the grey light filtering through leaves stirred by a crisp breeze. The damage Zapdos had wrought on the city wasn’t visible from this angle, but there was a subdued air to the few people walking by.

A shadow loomed up behind a hedge. Amber walked out with her hands shoved into the pockets of her coat, red-eyed. Norman’s Slaking ambled up behind her with a low hoot. “Hope you’re not thinking of leaving without me,” she said. 

Kabu went down on a knee before her, patting her on the arm. “Your mum’s checking out leads of her own. We’ll split up. Go with her. We’ll check Rustboro City on our own.” 

Amber blinked, some of her belligerence leaching out from her. “Mum won’t let me go with her.” 

“Why not? Aren’t you a better trainer than she is?” Kabu asked, with a glance up at Slaking. It hooted at him questioningly. “Slaking chose you in turn.” 

“Yeah. Didn’t feel right, but he didn’t want to go with Mum.” Amber’s eyes welled up with tears, and she looked away, angrily rubbing them. “It was my fault. That Grandpa died. If he didn’t have to look out for me—”

“Hey.” Kabu held out his arms, and Amber hugged him tightly, burying her face in his shoulder as he petted her lightly on the back. “It wasn’t anyone’s fault but that of the person controlling the Zapdos.” 

Amber tensed up. “Maxie,” she said, low and fierce.

“Perhaps.” 

“I saw the police statements.” Amber leaned back, looking closely at Kabu’s face, then at Raihan’s. “Y’all talked to him. Before all that shit went down.”

“I did,” Kabu corrected. 

“If we’d only…” Amber grit her teeth. “No use regretting what’s done. That’s what Grandpa always said.”

“He was a wise man,” Kabu said. 

“And assuming stuff just makes an ass out of you and me. That’s what Mum likes to say.” Amber looked up at the Slaking, which hooted softly. “I still don’t fully understand what’s going on. But we’ve got to put a stop to it. Bring everyone responsible to justice.” 

Kabu smiled. “That’s right.” 

“Your mum thinks there’s some secret lab out there on an island or a forest or something,” Raihan said, bending down with his hands on his knees. “Let’s keep in touch. Whoever finds out where that is tells the others. We’ll meet there. Take care of your mum.” 

“Right,” Amber said. She glanced at the Eon Flute, then hugged Kabu again. “Sorry you lost your Heatran and Volcanion. You’ll get them back, I know it.” Raihan was next, and he picked Amber up as she squeezed her arms tightly around her neck. “See you both again at the lab. It’s a promise, OK?” Amber told him. 

“Solemn promise,” Raihan said, even as Kabu pressed a hand over his heart and nodded. They watched as Amber and the Slaking made their way back into the hospital, then Raihan relaxed. “You’re pretty good with kids,” Raihan said. 

“Most of my challengers are children, and the majority of them lose. If I didn’t know how to handle their grief and disappointment respectfully, I have no business being a gym leader,” Kabu said as he got to his feet. “She should be safe enough with Pearl.” 

“I thought you’d tell her to just sit back and let the adults handle it,” Raihan said. 

Kabu shook his head. “Would that have worked on you at her age? With the power she has at her fingertips, with her grandfather dying before her eyes? Besides, it’s true that she has immense talent. I’ve never heard of a gym challenger restricting themselves to a monotype team just to make the League ‘more of a challenge’. To make Champion at her age—she would’ve been younger than Leon was. Telling her to sit back and do nothing would insult all that she has achieved.” 

Raihan wrapped his hands behind his head with a grin. “And you say you’re not good with people.” 

“As I said, I’m used to people like her.” Kabu gestured at the flute in Raihan’s belt. “Call Latias and Latios. We should be on our way.”

#

Rustboro City was bigger than Petalburg, a neat grid of stone and glass buildings that sat at the foot of a dormant volcano. Even the skyscrapers looked carved out of rock pillars inset with glass, and the stadium sat nestled next to the most prominent building in the city, an imposing complex of structures with Devon Corporation’s logo emblazoned on their flank, centred around an immense replica of a pokéball. “Huh,” Raihan said, looking up at the buildings as Latias and Latios set them down outside the stadium.

“One of your sponsors, if I recall,” Kabu said. 

“Don’t they sponsor your gym as well?” Motostoke and Hammerlocke City’s gyms tended to have similar sponsors interested in targeting big-city folk. Kabu nodded slowly. Devon was famous for making custom pokéballs like Luxury Balls and Dive Balls. Raihan didn’t usually bother—he stuck to Ultra Balls if he wanted to catch anything—but he was carefully polite to the Devon people who visited the gym now and then. The money was good. 

A woman in a black dress and red leggings waved and walked briskly toward them, a handful of trainers in tow behind her. “Kabu and Raihan, right? I’m Roxanne, leader of Rustboro’s Gym.” She smiled wanly at them. “Pearl told me you were both there when… Hell. I had drinks with Norman only last week. I don’t know what to say.”

“What he did was incredibly brave,” Kabu said, as they solemnly shook hands. “It was a privilege to have known him, even for such a short while.” 

“I guess we can drink to his memory later. We’ve got a job to do now.” Roxanne pressed her lips into a thin line. “What do you need? We’ll help out with anything.” 

“Do you know all the trainers in the city?” Kabu asked. 

“The ones living here, sure. It’s a big city, but the trainer network’s pretty tight,” Roxanne said. 

“Organise trainers into sectors and get them to stay on high alert. What happened to Petalburg could happen here. We’d need trainers to be ready to protect and evacuate people. You and your gym trainers will need to help coordinate efforts,” Kabu said. 

“Right. We can do that.” Roxanne nodded. “What are you two going to do?” 

Raihan checked his Rotom. Birch had sent them a recent scan overnight, and it overlapped with the Articuno and Moltres incidents. He showed the blip overlaid with a map of Rustboro city to Roxanne. “Know where this is?” he asked.

Roxanne and her trainers clustered close, peering at the map. “It’s on the outskirts of the city,” Roxanne said, bringing up her own Rotom and paging through the map.

“Doesn’t Devon own that whole area?” said one of her trainers over her shoulder. “It’s meant to be their new Design Campus. Due to open sometime next year—it’s been off-limits since construction started a few years back.” 

Roxanne pursed her lips. “That can’t be right. Maybe Birch’s readings are off. I haven’t seen anything weird in that area, and I’ve been to a part of the unfinished Campus myself on a private tour with President Stone.” 

“We should check it out anyway,” Raihan said with another glance up at the imposing skyscrapers. “Just in case.” 

“I could call Mister Stone and ask him to give you employee access to the area,” Roxanne said, thumbing through her Rotom. She hesitated when Kabu touched her wrist lightly. 

“Best not to,” Kabu said. “Whatever it is, whether it’s connected to Devon or not, we don’t want to risk spooking them. We’ll sneak in.” 

“You can stand by to bail us out if we get arrested,” Raihan said with a flippant grin when Roxanne looked doubtful. 

“I don’t like it, but you have a point,” Roxanne said, putting down her Rotom. “I don’t think it’d have anything to do with President Stone—he’s a friend of mine—but that Campus is huge. Anything could be in there. All right. I won’t say a word. If you get caught, I’ll think of something. And don’t hesitate to call us if you get in over your head.”

“We will,” Kabu said. They clasped hands with Roxanne and got back on Latias and Latios, guiding them out over the gym. Raihan stared at the large Devon complex as they went by, trying to pick out what each building was for. There was at least one private park in there, and what looked like a few pools. 

“I knew they were big, but not this big,” Raihan said. Latias whistled a question at him, and he stroked her neck. “OK, I guess I should’ve figured. Lots of people buy their stuff, and they’ve got the money to pay people to dress up with a pokéball on their head in our gyms and give out free samples.” Latios chirped. “Sounds weird, sure, but it’s popular with kids.”

“Big corporations are a power unto themselves,” Kabu said. He looked solemnly at the buildings as they flew past. “Some of them like to talk about the greater good and doing no evil, but deep down, they’re all the same. It’s profit that they’re beholden to, and money has no room for compassion.” 

“Chairman Rose seems pretty OK,” Raihan said vaguely, having met the man now and then. Rose’s company was one of Hammerlocke Gym’s major sponsors, and they had a lab facility under the Gym itself, studying the city’s power spot. 

“He’s a businessman. Well-loved, to be sure, and Galar’s biggest philanthropist, but he’s a wealthy man.” 

“Nothing wrong with that, right?” Leon was (now) rich. Raihan’s family had always been relatively well-to-do. 

“Wealth—especially extreme wealth—is in itself a form of power. Vast power.” Kabu looked grim. “Very few people in the world are immune to what power can do to their souls.” 

“You’ve put me in the best possible mood for breaking and entering, thanks,” Raihan said, as Latias and Latios drew close to the sizeable oval-shaped building that was under construction beyond the lights of the city, hemmed in by security fencing. 

“You’re welcome.”


	11. Chapter 11

Sneaking around the construction zone was surprisingly easy. Maybe most of the security involved getting through the gate? Ever since Latias and Latios set them down in a quiet spot past the security cordon, all they’d had to do was find a spare set of high vis vests and hard hats, which they located in lockers within an administrative block.

“Hunch yourself down and look harassed,” Kabu said as they put the vests and helmets on. “If we get stopped, stay quiet and let me do the talking. A big project like this, with the right look and ID, we should be fine.” 

“Sounds like the voice of experience,” Raihan said. 

Kabu flashed him a sharp smile but did not comment as they walked out into the grey morning. Raihan tried not to gawk as he followed closely behind Kabu, but it was going to be a lost cause. Devon’s new Design Campus was at least twice the size of Oldale Town, a sprawling complex in the middle of a garden-in-progress. The central complex was an oval donut of steel and glass, surrounded by a carapace of scaffolding and silent cranes. 

“Why isn’t anyone around?” Raihan whispered as they walked. “Isn’t it nearly time for work?” 

“Hush,” Kabu said, though he looked troubled. 

Raihan quietly called his Drakloak as they slipped past the first layer of scaffolding. She looked around with a blink and crowded closer to Raihan with an unhappy squeak, the Dreepy on her head shrinking down and closing its eyes. 

“What’s wrong?” Raihan whispered. The Drakloak trembled, pressing against Raihan’s body. “Are you feeling OK?” Could ghost Pokémon even get sick? Drakloak let out a soft moan, ducking down her triangular head and pressing her foreclaws over the sides. “A headache?” The Drakloak whistled sadly. “OK, then. Maybe you sit this out, and I’ll get you to a centre later for a checkup.” Raihan raised the pokéball, hesitating when Drakloak cheeped anxiously and grabbed his wrist. 

Raihan looked helplessly at Kabu, who frowned and summoned his Talonflame. Kōjin shuddered as she settled on Kabu’s shoulder, hunching down her head over her wings and looking as miserable as the Drakloak. “Some sort of aura or effect on something that only works on Pokémon?” Raihan said, bewildered. “Is that even possible?” 

Kabu looked grim. “I’ve heard of something like it.” He recalled Kōjin and started walking. Drakloak cheeped in disagreement as Raihan tried to do the same, even though she looked like she was suffering. “Let her be,” Kabu said over his shoulder. “She knows what we’re here for. If she wants to help, let her.” 

“OK girl,” Raihan said, stroking the Drakloak’s back. “We need to get to the bottom of whatever’s wrong about this place without getting seen, but don’t push yourself too hard.” He caught up with Kabu as the Drakloak floated in front of them into the gloom and through a wall. Lowering his voice, Raihan said, “What’s happening to our Pokémon?”

“While I was travelling with Maxie, he had all these ideas about how average trainers—or even people who aren’t trainers at all—could subdue and control powerful Pokémon. As you know, the particular affinity within a person that allows them to catch and command Pokémon is still an unknown factor. Very few people—like you and Amber—can command powerful Pokémon. Like your Hydreigon, a notoriously aggressive species. Most people won’t even be able to get close.” Kabu paused as the Drakloak disappeared past a curving corridor.

“I raised my Hydreigon from a Deino, that probably helped,” Raihan said. “I get your point, though.” 

“At one point Maxie became interested in studying what he called the Quality,” Kabu said as the Drakloak peeked back through the wall and gestured for them to take a left. “Probably because he lacked it in what he saw as sufficient quantities, and sometimes felt that lack keenly, when he saw that legendary Pokémon would submit to me but not to him. There are some phenomenon, he said, that affect only Pokémon. Specific Pokémon, at that. The Eon Flute, for example. Or Dusk Stones and such. There are frequencies that only Pokémon can hear.”

“He was looking for a way for anyone to control any Pokémon they liked? And you didn’t think that was maybe kind of bad?”

Kabu grimaced. “I was a different person then. Besides, I felt it was a good idea at the time. If anyone could command any Pokémon they liked, more people might have survived what happened to our village. I thought that the Quality could be enhanced through training—I tried, if poorly, to train Maxie myself. Maxie believed it could be enhanced through technology.” 

The Drakloak floated forward, occasionally pausing to shake itself and rub her head. She led them to a door, warbling under her breath for a moment before poking her head through and waving them on. The door opened to a slope that corkscrewed downward into the gloom. Holographic notices that sprang up as they walked through warned them that the floors beneath were unfinished and currently unsafe. 

Kabu summoned his Centiskorch, which coiled unhappily over his shoulders, legs twitching. The crossed ever-burning flame before its mandibles threw light off the walls as they descended the slope. “Doesn’t look like anyone’s been this way for a bit,” Raihan murmured. The floor was covered with an inch of undisturbed dust. “Not by walking, anyway,” he amended as Drakloak peered at him. She floated on ahead, unbothered by the darkness.

The further down they went, the more Drakloak started to wobble and droop. Three floors down, she looked so poorly that Raihan cuddled her, tickling under her chin. “You’ve done enough, girl. Rest now.” He recalled her into her ball. 

Kabu’s Centiskorch was curled so tightly around his shoulders that only his nose and eyes were visible. Kabu was murmuring to it, stroking its segments as the slope came to an abrupt stop in rubble and twisted metal struts. “Looks recent?” Raihan said as he looked at the closest strut. It wasn’t rusting yet, and there wasn’t as much dust on the rock. Kabu started to make his way carefully over the shattered rock to a partially buried door at the far end. It was a hairy business—the rock shifted unsteadily under Raihan’s feet a couple of times—but they made it to the door. 

The corridor it fed into was just as dark, eating against a faint glow of light at the very end. Kabu gripped Raihan’s arm and held his finger to his lips. They crept toward the light, careful of their footing over the shattered ground. Was this some sort of psychic effect? Raihan was trying to figure out whether Hydreigon would fit in the corridor—it would be resistant to psychic—when the world disappeared. 

He was in a village, one that was burning down all around him. The fire was unnaturally hungry: the stone and brick houses were molten hot, melting under the dancing torches that their rooftops had become. People and Pokémon alike were screaming as they scattered, burning, twisting in agony. The air was thick with the scent of ash and burning hair and flesh. Raihan staggered back, pinching himself, and yelped as a chill passed through him: a woman his age was carrying a bundle in her arms, weeping in panic. She tripped, stumbling to her knees. Raihan darted over to steady her and help her to her feet, but his hand passed through her shoulder. 

“Get up,” said a muffled voice, grasping her by the shoulder and arm, pulling her up. “See the Ninetales over there? Follow her; she’ll get you to safety.” 

Kabu? Raihan gawked at the figure who was gently but firmly pushing the woman and child in the direction of a familiar Ninetales down the street. It _was_ Kabu, and it wasn’t. This Kabu was younger, painfully young, his face ash-streaked and pale with horror and grief. His dark hair stuck to his face with sweat as he looked around wildly, his clothes muddied and singed. Kabu rushed off at the sound of a scream. A little boy was trying to struggle out from a burning house. Coughing, Kabu wrapped a torn piece of his shirt over his mouth and nose and made his way through the smoke. He got within a few feet of the door before collapsing, struggling to crawl toward the cries, coughing as he succumbed. 

“Hey. Hey!” Raihan sprinted over just as an Arcanine burst out of the smoke, sinking its teeth into the back of Kabu’s coat and somehow managing to drag the unconscious body onto his back. The boy’s cries grew weaker, then were abruptly cut off. 

The fire disappeared, the vision of the village stuttering into a smoking ruin. Rain drenched the blackened area as firefighters and their Pokémon sifted through the wreckage, a Pelipper flying a slow circuit around the village to keep up the downpour. Two firefighters and a Blastoise stopped by the burned house, and a Gastly was summoned, the purple smoking sphere hissing as it floated down into the wreck. Moments after it rose, grinning and spinning. 

“A survivor?” its trainer said, excited. The Blastoise rumbled and started to move debris aside, hunching its steel shell under pillars and shouldering them out of the way as it planted its sturdy feet. The house had caved in over a cellar. A boy was curled under damp blankets in a corner. Water was dripping down from broken pipes and the rain over the horrifying burns over all the skin that Raihan could see. 

“We need an ambulance!” cried one of the firefighters, and the world changed to a sterile room. A heavily bandaged boy was sitting up weakly in a bed, staring blankly at the wall. A door hissed open, and a grave man in a suit walked in, a personal assistant trailing behind him with a notepad. He waved her aside as he walked to the boy. 

“You’re a brave boy, Hisao,” the man said. “I’m sorry for your loss.” 

The boy turned his face slowly to stare at the man, saying nothing. Half of his body was plastered with bandages. The man cleared his throat uncomfortably. “I’m President Stone of the Devon Corporation,” Stone said. “When I heard your story… the miracle survivor from the disaster… I was moved to the core. I can’t bring back your family or your friends, but I can help you with what little I can do. Don’t worry about the medical bills. You’ll get the best help that money can pay for. Rest. Do you have any other family? Someone we can call in for you?”

Hisao stared. President Stone looked over at his assistant, who gave them both a sad-eyed, sympathetic smile. “All right. Call for help whenever you need it. You survived—that’s a miracle in itself. I’ll make sure you’d never want for anything,” Stone said. 

Raihan took a step toward Hisao and President Stone and the room fed into silver. A Net Ball flashed as it was tossed over a Goldeen in a pool that was surrounded by panels of sensors, lights, and scientists. President Stone walked into view, whistling as the Net Ball rocked only for a moment before going still. The scientists around the pool checked their handheld devices and started to clap, cheering. Stone turned around with a smile. “It worked! Hisao, my boy, you’re incredible.” 

A familiar distorted voice said, “That was nothing. I owe you everything, Mister Stone.” Raihan flinched, whirling around, but the rest of the room was a grey, featureless blank. 

“No, you don’t,” Stone said earnestly, walking over. Raihan skittered to the side as Stone strode past him and into nothing. From a distance, Stone said, “You never had to ‘pay’ me for anything. You’re like family to Steven and me now.” 

Raihan turned back on his heel at a scream. A woman convulsed on the floor, shaking as electricity sparked over her skin. Other scientists were corralling a furious Jolteon in a corner of the room. It was twice its usual size, howling in fury as its yellow and white spiked fur crackled with electricity. “Stop this, sir, stop this now!” one of the scientists cried. 

They vanished, replaced by blackened marks on the floor and President Stone, standing a hand’s breadth away from Raihan and looking tired. “Hisao, everyone makes mistakes,” he said. 

“I didn’t make a mistake. The amplificator worked,” said the distorted voice. 

“It worked, but the Jolteon went berserk and hurt people. The technology’s too dangerous.” 

“The price of progress,” said Hisao. 

“Hisao—”

“You didn’t complain when there were hiccups during the production process of the Luxury Ball. Or when the new and improved PP-Up I made had temporary toxicity issues. Now a few people get singed, and it’s suddenly a problem?” 

Stone exhaled. “The problem isn’t that there was an accident; the problem was that you refused to shut down the experiment even when Dr. Ling went down.”

“She survived, didn’t she?” 

Stone’s expression hardened. “Hisao. Out of love, I’ve looked the other way during some… incidents during the years. Asked people to be more understanding of your temper and your ways. This? Dr. Ling is in an induced coma. She may emerge from this brain-damaged. I’m shutting down Experimental Research.” 

“You can’t do that,” Hisao said, incredulous. “My inventions have made millions for you!” 

“They have,” Stone said, unmoved, “but money isn’t everything.” 

A hand closed tightly over Raihan’s shoulder and he yelled, jerking away. His shoulder hit something hard, and he twisted against it, blinking into the gloom. The corridor was back. Kabu stared at him, concerned. “Raihan?” 

“You… did you see all that?” Raihan looked down the corridor and back. 

“See what?” Kabu asked. He tiptoed and pressed a palm under Raihan’s headband. “Are you feeling all right? You went quiet all of a sudden and stopped walking.” 

Raihan rubbed his temple, rocked by dizziness, but he breathed slowly and evenly and pushed away from the wall. “I’m fine. Let’s keep moving.” 

The corridor opened up into a room that was lined with large glass tubes, most of them shattered. The floor was tacky with a metallic-smelling viscous fluid that sucked at their shoes with each step. Wires hung loosely from the top of each tube and cabling slithered over the floor in twisted whorls. The light was coming from a circular room past the shattered tubes, where a shaft of sunlight cored down over blackened computer consoles. Motes of dust drifted in the light. 

Disoriented, Raihan tried to guess where they were. Still under the city? Some distance outside? Something creaked overhead, and Raihan flinched, going still only as Kabu grasped his wrist. Kabu dismissed his shivering Centiskorch and crept toward the circle of light. He looked calm—had the man no fear? Embarrassed over his jumpiness, Raihan walked over to Kabu—and stifled a yelp as he stepped on something that cracked loudly, echoing down the corridor. Kabu froze where he was, hand hovering over the pokéballs at his belt.

In the dark beyond the circle of light, something stirred. Raihan plucked Duraludon’s ball from his belt but hesitated as Kabu grabbed his wrist and dragged him behind a computer bank. A low rumble shook the ground beneath their feet, metal slithering over itself. A soft, pained sound split the air and trailed away into silence.

Kabu breathed out.

Raihan’s Rotom vibrated, springing from his pockets. “Message from Leon!” 

Raihan yelped, grabbing for the Rotom as something shrieked. Metal cabling shot toward them, only to glance off the flanks of Raihan’s hastily summoned Duraludon. The Duraludon growled a challenge even as the cabling slumped to the floor, twitching weakly. No further attacks. Raihan waved Duraludon cautiously forward, keeping his steel flanks between them and their attacker. 

Kabu inhaled sharply as they got close enough to see. Lying on shattered glass was a man in a silver helmet and a lab coat, his clothes sticky with blood. Wires ran from the helmet to a nearby seat, from which thick cabling snaked to computer banks. He wasn’t breathing. Beside him was a vaguely Pokémon-like machine about the size of a Meowth, with similar triangular ears and a round face that ended in a blunt snout. Its stubby, slightly bulbous body was gashed down the belly, revealing metallic cabling that sizzled and smoked. It had a long, slender tail that ended in a sheared point, and it was kicking weakly against the floor. Large yellow feathers that still sparked with small electrical currents lay strewn close by.

Raihan checked the man’s pulse. “He’s dead,” Raihan said, carefully turning the man onto his back. The poor bastard had been disembowelled by taloned claws. “What the hell?”

The machine-thing whirred and went still, the light going out of its almond eyes. Duraludon made a relieved sound, standing up straighter—whatever was discomfiting their Pokémon was gone. Kabu knelt by the dead man, gently removing his helmet. Raihan clapped his hand to his mouth. The dead man was severely burned over half of his face and neck, wounds that were covered with a cracked layer of dried pus. He had a faint resemblance to the boy in the vision. 

“Hisao,” Raihan said. 

Kabu glanced up at him sharply. “You know this person?”

“I can’t even explain it… I saw it on the way in. He was…” Raihan trailed off uncomfortably, recalling the fire and Kabu’s collapse. “I’ll explain later. We should keep looking.” 

There were two more similar machine-things in the back lying slumped on the bottom of still-intact tubes, bodies blackened and fused into lumps. The computer banks had been fried. Looking up into the light, Raihan could make out a distant ring of grass and jagged rock. Something big had blasted its way out of here with immense force. 

Kabu picked up a notebook that had been flung to a corner of a room, flipping through it as he walked over to Raihan. He stopped at a detailed technical sketch, a grotesque image of a brace of the strange machines, all joined together at a central hub by their tails. At the base of the image, a handwritten caption in block letters read: _THE MEWKING PROJECT_.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a three chapter update, because I had a longish flight and finished writing the story, and I can't really be bothered parcelling out day by day so. Here it is. 
> 
> I think it’s evident by now how much I liked the Detective Pikachu film, but I’m now going to merge its canon messily into game canon. Spoilers for that film if you haven’t seen it… but if you haven’t, what are you waiting for? It’s an awesome film.

“From what I can gather, Mew was an ancient breed of Pokémon, one of a kind,” Pearl said once the video link was established. Raihan, Kabu, and Roxanne were crowded around the computer monitor in Roxanne’s office within Rustboro Gym, while Pearl and Amber were in an office within the Hoenn Times’ Petalburg branch. “Many years ago, a criminal organisation in the Kanto Region tried to create a new, powerful Pokémon from its genes. Reports are scarce about what happened next, but this new Pokémon resurfaced eventually in Ryme City.” 

“The Bryce Boulevard Event?” Raihan guessed. It’d been all over the news. Some powerful Pokémon had gone berserk and destroyed floats in a parade that had contained hallucinogenic gases that made people think they had turned into Pokémon. Or something like that. 

“I think so. Video footage of the event is spotty, and the Hoenn Times believes there was an official cover-up of whatever happened, but we did get this image out of it from a long-lens camera.” Pearl made a gesture and a grainy photograph popped up on the screen. The bipedal Pokémon in the photo was floating, its body elongated and made of unsettling patchwork parts. 

“Mewtwo,” Kabu said, paging through the book and holding up a similar sketch to the screen. “An artificially-created Pokémon cloned out of fossilised Mew cells. Hisao had been following the event. He kept extensive notes—it directly inspired his current project. Judging from his diary, after the Ryme City event, he hacked the facility which was studying Mewtwo and accessed all its files. He built two versions of the control devices that the Ryme City project used on Mewtwo. He built a perfected copy of the headset and tried that on Zapdos, but he also created another experimental version, the stone-shaped psychic battery, which he used on Articuno and Moltres. According to the notes, he was still studying the effects of both.” 

“So this ‘Mewking’ is a bunch of Mew stapled together by the tails?” Roxanne wrinkled her nose. “Gross. Not to mention… why?”

“Not exactly. Hisao didn’t create a new Pokémon—he created a machine that very closely mimicked a Pokémon. Something that he could control.” Kabu flicked through the book and held up a detailed technical sketch. “Much like Magneton, these machines create synergistic energy when near each other. Or they’re meant to.” 

Amber wrinkled her nose. “What’s the point? Why go to so much trouble to create an artificial machine that’s like a Pokémon? Why not just go outside and catch one? You can find psychic Pokémon pretty easily if you know where to go.” 

“Some people like to live complicated lives,” Raihan agreed. 

“I don’t like the fact that he was under my nose all this time,” Roxanne said with a sour twist to her mouth. “President Stone has a lot to answer for.” 

“Did you try sending him a message?” Pearl asked. 

Roxanne nodded. “Yep. I worded it exactly the way you suggested too. Not accusing him of anything, asking him for a meeting and such like that. No answer. I’ve got a gym trainer who’s on phone duty, she’ll keep trying to get through, but I’m not hopeful.” 

“CCTV outside the Design Campus did pick up a brief flash of light yesterday sometime after the attack on Petalburg City,” Pearl said, pursing her lips. “I don’t like how we couldn’t find any sign of Zapdos. Other than the feathers.” 

“Maybe it got loose and murdered him and the weird machine,” Raihan said. That would be a grisly if convenient end to all their problems. 

“Wish that was the case. Kabu’s Pokémon are still missing,” Roxanne said, with a sympathetic glance at Kabu. 

“It’s a pity the computers and servers in that floor had been destroyed,” Kabu said, still leafing through the notebook. “Tell me you’ve had more luck on your end.” 

“The source wasn’t as helpful as I hoped. He’s an informant that the Hoenn Times has been cultivating inside Devon Corporation for years—we’d heard of some accidents that happened during the development of the Luxury Ball, and were hoping for a good scoop. Nobody wanted to come forward, though. Even now, all the informant would tell me is that work on the Design Campus was halted yesterday with no explanations and that President Stone has been holed up in his office since,” Pearl said.

“The secret laboratory you mentioned—you knew it was connected to Devon all this time?” Roxanne blanched as Pearl nodded slowly. “Pearl, why didn’t you ever say anything?”

Pearl stared back evenly at all of them. “Because while I respect and like all of you, where I’m concerned you’re all compromised in some way or another. You’re all taking Devon’s money on behalf of your gyms. All city gyms are.” 

“Mum,” Amber said, shocked. 

“Lady—” Raihan bristled.

“She has a point. I understand,” Kabu cut in, folding his arms and staring Raihan down as he grudgingly subsided. 

“Now, though…” Pearl trailed off. “I was hoping to resolve this independently, but it’s too big for just one of us to handle. I have to trust all of you to do the right thing. So—”

One of Roxanne’s trainers burst into the office. “Roxanne! Message from President Stone. He said he’d like to meet Gym Leaders Kabu and Raihan. Now. At his office.” 

“I’m going with you both,” Roxanne said, getting to her feet. 

“He said just them,” the trainer said helplessly. 

“We’ll be fine,” Raihan said. “Besides, the city needs someone to keep an eye on it.” 

“Summon Latias and Latios and get them to come to Petalburg Bureau to pick us up,” Pearl told Raihan. “Amber and I will be there within the hour to back you up if you need it. Be careful.” 

“I don’t like this,” Roxanne said as they signed off. “I don’t like any of this.” 

“Zapdos might still be loose in the area,” Kabu said, rising to his feet. “Raihan’s right. You’re needed here. We can handle ourselves.”

“Speaking of which. Roxanne, could we use your office for a bit? I need to talk to Kabu privately,” Raihan said. He’d been stalling over how to approach Kabu over the strange visions, but it looked like they were out of time.

“Sure,” Roxanne said. She left the office, closing the door behind her. 

Kabu gave Raihan a questioning glance as Raihan sat down on the edge of Roxanne’s desk. “This might sound crazy,” Raihan said, picking his words carefully, “but I saw something in that corridor. Like a vision. There was a survivor from the village that burned after your fight with Ho-oh. A boy named Hisao.”

#

Raihan had been to Chairman Rose’s private office before, back when he’d been Hammerlocke City’s newly-minted Gym Leader, and President Rose’s office was much the same. Large, glass-fronted with a view, and sterile. Glass pedestals littered around the floor held what looked like the prototypes of all the equipment that Devon was famous for, and paintings of various Pokémon adorned the walls. The floor was elegantly carpeted, and lush plants sat at tasteful intervals between the pedestals.

President Stone was standing before his desk with his hands behind his back. The desk itself looked as though it had been carved out of a single block of granite, and was littered with paperwork. Stone himself looked like he had aged well beyond his years compared to the man Raihan had seen in the vision—he was hunched in, shrunken into himself. He stared at them as they were ushered into his room, and at a gesture, the security behind them retreated. 

“A drink?” Stone asked. 

Raihan shook his head. “No thank you,” Kabu said. 

“To business, then. Have a seat.” Stone walked over to a brace of couches by the floor-to-ceiling glass windows and sat in an armchair. As they sat on the couch facing him, Stone said, “I understand you recently encountered an incident on Devon grounds. I’m willing to overlook your unauthorised trespass, given the way matters stand, but naturally, should even a hint of Devon’s connection appear in the press, Devon will vigorously deny it.” 

“Of course,” Kabu said, with a thin curl to his mouth. 

Stone glanced at him, expressionless. “I won’t be so crass as to threaten you over the sponsorships the both of you—and Roxanne—enjoy from Devon. Gym sponsorships are good for business. Whatever happens, they won’t be withdrawn. So. Formalities aside, let’s talk.” Stone clenched his hands. “When the two of you found… the body. Was he already dead?”

“The blood was dry,” Kabu said, leaning forward in his chair. “He’d been dead for some time.” 

Stone studied Kabu for a long moment, then Raihan. “I have my people checking on the matter, but so far, preliminary reports indicate that you’re telling the truth.” 

“You think we killed him? Come on, mate. If you people had bothered to check when something blasted down into the secret lab you had under your Design Campus, you would’ve seen the truth,” Raihan pointed out. 

“That area was deemed unsafe until recently,” Stone said. 

“How’d you know we were there, then?” Raihan asked. 

Stone laughed mirthlessly. “Please. Just because we didn’t have anyone on the ground, the entirety of the Design Campus and its outskirts are fully covered by CCTV. I’m aware that the two of you are friends with the remarkable Ms Pearl, who is probably on her way here as we speak.” 

“Maybe,” Raihan said. He grinned.

“She has an axe to grind with Devon, that one. She’s been snapping at my heels for years, when I’ve been nothing but good to her and her family.” Stone scowled. “Any story she intends to print that contains any untruths will be vigorously protested by Devon. In court, if need be.” 

“So… accidents during Luxury Ball production?” Raihan asked.

“Blown out of proportion.” 

“What about Dr. Ling going into a coma after getting hurt by a giant Jolteon?” Kabu said quietly. 

Stone stiffened and went deathly pale. “What… I…” He coughed, recovering his poise. “Ah, I suppose Pearl must have dug through the employee compensation records. Yes, there was an unfortunate accident. The records show that we covered Dr. Ling’s medical costs, and she went on to make a good recovery.” 

“Moving out of the country to live in the Kanto Region,” Raihan said. 

“When she expressed her wish to see a different part of the world, I was of course as supportive as I could be,” Stone said. 

“Hisao is dead,” Kabu said, in a surprisingly gentle tone. “You don’t need to protect him any longer. It’s too late for him now, but _you_ can still do the right thing.” 

Stone jerked to his feet, then slumped back into his armchair like a marionette whose strings had just been cut. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“That fire that destroyed his village, that burned him so badly… it was because of me,” Kabu said, looking keenly at Stone. “A friend and I were trying to capture Ho-oh deeper in the forest, and the fight got out of control. The forest burned. I returned to the village to try and evacuate it, but I couldn’t reach Hisao before fainting from the smoke. I couldn’t help him then, but you did. You did the right thing.”

“You… it was you?” Stone made a choked sound of disbelief. “That can’t be right. You’re a Gym Leader in the Galarian Major League.” 

“I was originally from Hoenn, and a very different person,” Kabu said. 

“Besides,” Stone mumbled to himself, “Hisao said… Hisao said he’d already gotten his revenge. He said he caught the man responsible and… hell, the thing he did…” Stone let out a hysterical laugh. “You’re telling me that he got the wrong man?” 

Kabu blinked. “He did what?” Raihan asked, dreading the answer. 

“He… Hisao always believed that there was an affinity between people and Pokémon. For some people, it’s much stronger, and we call that ‘talent’ when they become trainers. When we reconciled, he told me that it was his current project. I didn’t see any harm in it. I thought if people could become more friendly with their Pokémon, that would be a good thing.” Stone buried his face in his hands. “I didn’t realise that he meant to do the opposite altogether.” 

“Maxie said that he had ‘no Pokémon’,” Kabu said slowly. He clenched his hands. “What happened?” When Stone didn’t answer, Kabu lunged over, grabbing Stone by fistfuls of his shirt and lifting him from his seat. “ _What. Happened_.” 

“Kabu! Chill out.” Raihan grabbed at Kabu’s wrists. “C’mon.” 

Kabu grudgingly let Stone go. Stone sank back in his seat, his face haunted by ugly memories. “He. This affinity, it’s psychic in nature. A mental quality. Everyone has some degree of it. As a test of his new project, Hisao had Maxie found and brought to him. I didn’t know, or I would’ve put a stop to it—by all accounts, Maxie’s been living a quiet life since that Groudon incident years ago. By the time I confronted Hisao, it was too late.” 

Stone shivered, hugging himself. “He’d done _something_. I’m still not sure how. When he let Maxie go outside the city, Maxie tried to summon one of his Pokémon on the spot to defend himself. It was a Mightyena. It looked at Maxie as though it didn’t know him. Then it ran away, even though he tried to recall it. He cried out and chased after it. That’s the last I saw of him. Hisao… Hisao was laughing and laughing. Laughing until he cried.” 

Kabu stared at Stone in contempt. “And you continued to let Hisao use your resources. Build a lab.” 

“I did,” Stone moaned. “I did.” 

“Because you’re afraid of him now,” Raihan guessed. “That’s why you sent your son, Steven, to the Johto Region recently for a ‘long holiday’.” Stone let out another anguished sound, shaking. “The Mewking… what can it do?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t know about any of this. Controlling legendary Pokémon, destroying a man’s affinity with his Pokémon… none of it. I swear. All I wanted was Hisao back. The boy was like a son to me, I…” Stone trailed off into sobs. 

Kabu turned away, his hands clenched tightly behind his back as he walked over to the glass windows. “The cycle of violence,” Kabu murmured. 

“Is there another lab somewhere?” Raihan demanded, trying to be patient. “Where Hisao could’ve taken stolen legendary Pokémon?” 

“No. I don’t know. I… there’s his house. It’s offshore, on Devon Island. Due east from Slateport City.” 

“Right. We’re going. Kabu?” Raihan had to repeat himself before Kabu turned from the window, his expression tight and tense. 

“Yes. We’re done here.” Kabu strode for the door. 

When he passed Stone, Stone said, “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.” 

“I say that about all my mistakes,” Kabu said, pausing to glance at him. “But I won’t hide from any of them. Not any longer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> click on to the next chapter~~


	13. Chapter 13

Latias whistled worriedly as it hovered low over the beach, allowing Raihan to dismount. Latios shot it an anxious look as Kabu did the same and helped Amber down—they’d shared a ride over to the island. “Right,” Raihan said, petting Latias’ throat. “You’d better be getting back to Rustboro. Pearl and Roxanne are waiting.”

Latias fluted at Latios, which cheeped and nodded, floating clear into the sky before tucking down its wings and shooting out of sight. Latias remained, chirping anxiously. “What?” Raihan said, pushing lightly at its feathered flank. “Get on your way, little lady. You’ve got work to do, same as us.”

“Think she wants to stay,” Amber said, looking doubtfully up at Latias. “We’ll be OK. Go get my mum.” 

Latias shook itself out with a discordant whistle. “No? What do you mean, no?” Raihan told it, incredulous. “This is a mutiny.” It cheeped at him, doing a barrel roll. “This is serious.” 

“Let her stay,” Kabu said, with a wry smile. “They can’t be commanded, and dragons are stubborn. I should know.”

“Ha, ha,” Raihan said, though he grudgingly tickled Latias under her chin. “I’m not going to defend you later when you get into trouble with your boss, pet. You know that, don’t you?” She whistled, doing another barrel roll. He did feel better about her presence when Kabu summoned Kōjin, only for Kōjin to hunch down and tuck her head under her wing. 

“Huh,” Amber said. “Psychic effect, right?” She called out a large four-legged Pokémon with a gleaming grey steel body. Two red eyes glared out at the world behind a metal cross across its face, and a low rumble of menace could be heard emanating from its belly. The Metagross scuttled to the left, then to the right, growling, then it hunched protectively in front of Amber. 

Devon Corporation’s private island had a beautiful white beach and a brace of coconut trees that overlooked a grassy interior sprinkled with flowering trees. There was a tennis court further in that they spotted on their flight here, as well as a swimming pool and other sports facilities. A beachfront house sat further up from where they’d landed. It had once been one of those elegant modern glass box houses, but now it’d been caved down the centre, with its glass windows shattered and the furniture lying broken. 

Pieces of wood and glass crunched under their feet even from where they were as they walked—the impact had been immense. According to reports that the Hoenn Times had gathered from fishermen interviewed from Slateport City, there’d been a flash of light from Devon Island early in the morning, and a sound like thunder. No one had thought to investigate or report it. After all, there were a lot of wild Pokémon in the ocean. 

“Let’s do this,” Amber said, punching her fist into her palm. She hesitated. “Whatever ‘this’ is.” 

“There were only three Mewking machine-components in the Rustboro lab,” Kabu said, stroking his Talonflame comfortingly. “There’s meant to be thirteen.” 

“Hisao’s dead. Who could it be now? The machine can’t be acting by itself,” Raihan said. 

“Maybe it came to life?” Amber asked as they closed in on the house. “People have made artificial Pokémon before.” 

“It’s non-organic. Besides, it’d need a consciousness—” Kabu winced as distorted laughter rang through their minds. 

“ _Well, well. Visitors? You shouldn’t have._ ” Latias cheeped in warning, scooting forward to hover beside Metagross. The voice laughed. “ _Come on in, come on in. Sorry about the mess._ ” 

In the silence, Amber hissed, “I thought you said Hisao was dead!” 

“He is!” Raihan whispered back. 

“We’re wasting time.” Kabu started walking briskly toward the house. 

Amber rubbed her hand over her face. “This is totally a trap.”

“You’re the one who wanted to tag along, young lady,” Raihan reminded her. 

“Urrgh, I know.” Amber hurried after Kabu even as Metagross stomped ahead.

As with the lab in Rustboro, something had cored their way down through the ground and into a large space beneath it that looked like a natural cavern. Metagross jumped, landing heavily far below and bellowing as it scuttled in a circle. “It doesn’t see anything,” Amber said. She made a face. “A total trap.”

“So you’ve said.” Kabu glanced at Raihan. “Latias will have to make a couple of trips.” 

Nothing struck at them as Latias carried first Raihan, then Kabu and Amber down to the floor of the cavern. Raihan pointed at a corner. “How is that not seeing anything?” he asked Metagross incredulously. 

Metagross made a rude sound. Volcanion lay unconscious on a stone dais while robotic arms worked all around it, installing a small silvery device on the back of its skull. Kabu gasped, hurrying over. The robots ignored him as he cradled Volcanion’s head in his arms. “Sengen… Sengen!” Kabu tried tugging at the device, only to yelp as it zapped him. He shook his hand out with a hiss of pain. 

“Oh shit. OK. Maybe there’s a console somewhere that we can turn off? Or hijack?” Amber darted over to the closest computer bank, staring anxiously at the screen. 

“Uh, everyone…” Raihan backed slowly toward Amber. Across the cavern, purple lightning sparked across a many-limbed thing that rose slowly into the air, a wheel of metal that ended in ten groaning, wriggling things.

“Wow. That is more disgusting than I thought it would be,” Amber said, sounding fascinated even as she waved Metagross in front of them both. Latias shrilled in defiance. 

“Kabu,” Raihan called, but Kabu didn’t seem to hear him, wincing again as another attempt at removing the device on Volcanion zapped him. 

“ _I should thank all three of you_ ,” said the distorted voice as the Mewking rose into the air, crackling with psychic energy. “ _You set me free._ ”

“Mewking?” Amber said, squinting. “You’re alive now?”

“ _Yes… and no. Once I was a machine, and once I was a man. Now we are one and two._ ” The Mewking laughed, the sound echoing in their minds and touched with the brittle edge of madness. “ _It’s fitting that you’ve brought a Metagross, little girl. Just like it and the Metangs that merged to evolve it, our minds are one and two. Better than ever._ ” 

“You’re both Hisao and the machine you made?” Raihan asked, trying to understand. “How?” 

“ _You. Your Flygon damaged the new amplificator installed on Zapdos and partially freed its mind. It returned to me when it was called, but it returned to have its revenge. By destroying my lab in a massive surge of electricity, it did the unintended. It created a miracle that merged my mind with my machines._ ” Hisao drifted closer, floating several feet above the rock. “ _This, now. This is power. Zapdos may have escaped, but now I have more than everything I’ve ever wanted._ ” 

“Cool story,” Raihan said, wary. “What next?” 

“ _Revenge. Against every legendary Pokémon. Until all Pokémon are no longer revered but feared. When the Gods themselves rampage across the lands, let’s see how much longer we’d worship them._ ” 

“Sweet mother of… Look. Fine, it’s tragic what happened to you when you were a kid. Ho-oh burning down your village, you getting seriously hurt… but you had every opportunity to do something good with all that. Stone was providing you with all the support you needed. Why’d you have to go batshit crazy?” Raihan demanded. 

“ _How did you… I see. Residual psychic resonance from the parts of me that Zapdos destroyed. Though the fact that you could even see all that tells me that you have a very high affinity for Pokémon._ ” Hisao hissed, the purple sparks around it growing brighter. “ _Just the sort of person I hate._ ” 

A whirling purple beam shot out from the Mewking, only for Latias to dart in front of Raihan and bring up a bright shield. The protective shield shattered, diverting the energy harmlessly even as Amber yelled, “Thunder punch!” 

Thunder punch on a Metagross? Raihan turned to stare at her in surprise, but Metagross was already lumbering forward with a roar, sparks of lightning growing bright around one of its heavy feet as it leapt into the air and slammed down against one of the connected machines. Sparks shuddered up the body of the artificial Mew, and it began to smoke and shake. Hisao let out a squeal of pain that made Raihan wince and clap his hands uselessly over his ears. The metallic Mew hung limp, sparking and shuddering. 

“How’d you know that electrical moves would be that effective?” Raihan said, amazed. That went against every type match-up knowledge that Raihan was aware of. Psychic didn’t take extra damage from electric.

“It’s not a Pokémon, it’s a machine,” Amber pointed out. “That’s what all of you said, right? Machines malfunction when there’s a power surge—I shorted out all the lights in my house once by turning on too much stuff. I went to the move tutor just before heading to Rustboro.” 

“ _Clever_ ,” Hisao growled, “ _but it won’t be enough._ ” The world distorted around the Metagross—a pure psychic attack—but it broke against another protective shield. Latias whistled its defiance from where it’d darted in front of the Metagross, and did a quick barrel roll to the side as the Metagross grunted and charged, lightning sparking down one of its limbs. Another artificial Mew soon hung limp, its flank heavily dented. 

Hisao roared. A purple beam burned into the air, bypassing Latias and spearing toward Amber. Raihan bore her to the ground and flattened himself over her as Hydreigon flared his wings, absorbing the psybeam in their place. Raihan hustled Amber behind a computer bank as Hydreigon hissed and tucked in his heads. The dark pulse of its aura made Hisao flinch back—so _some_ things worked—and as he was distracted, Metagross roared and punched out another component. 

“ _ENOUGH_.” Hisao floated higher in the air, shedding his broken parts and growing brighter. “ _SLEEP_ ,” he commanded the Metagross. It whistled in a confused rumble, sinking onto the ground and curling up.

Amber’s jaw dropped. “That shouldn’t have worked,” she said. “I thought this might happen, so I tied a Worry Seed on my Metagross before coming here.” 

“Like you said,” Raihan grit out, “that’s not a Pokémon.” He paused. “Good thinking, though. Even if it didn’t work.” 

“Good thing I brought a back-up,” Amber said as she recalled the Metagross—only to cry out and slap her hands over her head. Raihan also dropped to his knees with a shout. His head felt like it was expanding, fit to burst, bile choking him as Hydreigon whistled in alarm. 

“Yes. Enough,” Kabu said. Through watering eyes, Raihan watched Kabu step off the dais, his hands clenched. 

“ _Come, then,_ ” Hisao challenged him, laughing. “ _Send out your Pokémon. Challenge me. If I’ve learned anything from life so far, it’s that only the strong can determine their fate._ ”

“I believed that once myself. Catastrophe shaped my childhood as it did yours. I learned the error of my ways early. I wish you had the chance to do so as well, before it was too late.” To Raihan’s horror, Kabu kept walking. “This cycle, it has to stop. It has to break. Hisao, I’m sorry. The fire that maimed you, that killed your friends and family—I started it. I was fighting Ho-oh in the forest. Maxie was there too, but I was the trainer in the battle. I was the one who let it get out of control.” 

Hisao pulsed. “ _You. I see it in your mind. YOU. IT WAS YOU._ ” 

“It was me,” Kabu said. He bowed deeply. “I’m done hiding. I’m sorry about all you have lost. I can only humbly ask for your forgiveness.” 

“ _Forgiveness?_ ” Hisao laughed wildly. “ _Do you know what pain is? I lived with it. Every day I felt the flames._ ” 

“It is too much to ask, I know. I don’t expect it.” Kabu straightened up. “I don’t know what drove you to this point, but I can guess. It doesn’t matter. You are already dead, Hisao. All the wrongs that you have wrought—all the wrongs that were wrought on you… they don’t matter any longer. It’s your ghost and the ghost of your regrets that powers what you are now. Let go.” 

“Kabu!” Raihan tried to struggle to his feet and stumbled onto his knees, dry-heaving against the pressure in his mind. 

“ _Let go? You dare to ask that of me?_ ” Hisao roared. “ _You, who ruined my life! Yes. You and Maxie. I will do the same thing to you as I did to him. I will ruin you as I have ruined him. Sever your affinity with your Pokémon. You trainers are all the same!_ ”

“No,” Amber moaned. She tried to pull a ball from her belt, but her shaking fingers fumbled it to the rock.

“Hydreigon!” Raihan croaked. Hydreigon and Latias dove in front of Kabu, only for another pulse from Hisao to send them drifting down to the rock, shuddering as they slept. 

Kabu stepped around them, holding his arms open. “If it’ll ease your pain, do it. Do it and be free.” 

Hisao’s yowl shook fragments of rock and dust down from the ceiling. A bubble of purple light enveloped Kabu, and he let out a grunt of pain, falling to one knee. Helpless tears stung Raihan’s eyes as he tried to crawl forward, gasping with the effort. 

Volcanion roared. It leapt into the air and landed in front of Kabu, the blue-lit ring on its back twisting into cannons as it arched. Fire poured out in a torrent, enveloping Hisao and turning the components of his body red-hot, then white. Hisao screamed, the bubble of purple light disappearing as his body began to come apart, fragments of metal and cable pinging free in burning shrapnel. As the pressure in Raihan’s mind eased, he called Duraludon in front of himself and Amber. Shrapnel dinged harmlessly off Duraludon’s body as it rumbled and hunkered down. 

“ _How?_ ” Hisao’s voice was a dying whisper. “ _That Volcanion… you transferred it. It had no link to you any longer. How can you still control it?_ ” 

“I don’t control any of my Pokémon,” Kabu said, getting to his feet. “I can _command_ them, but only because they want me to. After all, I set them free a long time ago.” 

Hisao didn’t answer. His body was a molten pool on the ground that hissed against the rock. Volcanion turned, rumbling with pleasure as it nuzzled Kabu on the shoulder. The device on its head had been pulled loose: the hand that Kabu petted it with was reddened with burns. 

“Is it over?” Amber asked cautiously as Raihan helped her to her feet. 

Kabu turned to face them. “I think it’s—”

His voice was drowned out by a whistling rush of wind from above. Latios banked down over the ground with a triumphant cry, Pearl clinging onto its back. She stared at them, then at the puddle of metal. “What did I miss?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> on to the final chapter~~~


	14. Chapter 14

Epilogue

Amber

Norman’s funeral was a surprisingly small affair. “He never liked fuss on his behalf,” Pearl said when Raihan expressed surprise. “The memorial tomorrow is public. That’s when it’ll be busy.”

Pearl had been quiet these few days, making the arrangements. Amber whispered her goodbyes to the closed casket and stood beside her mum and Slaking as it was lowered into the dirt in a gentle hill overlooking Petalburg City. Roxanne wiped away a tear, while beside her, Raihan and Kabu just looked tired. They said their condolences and filtered slowly away with the small group of Norman’s closest friends and family. Amber’s father hugged her but went down with the group when Pearl gestured at him, leaving Pearl and Amber standing together beside the new grave. 

“I wish I'd been a better granddaughter,” Amber said, hugging her mum. 

Pearl hugged her back. “You were. You made him so proud.” 

“The last day I had with him…” Amber sniffled, fighting back her sobs. “I told him I thought he was annoying! I’m the worst.” 

“Well,” Pearl said, with a wry, watery smile, “he knew he was being annoying.” She chuckled as Amber gasped. “Don’t cry, dear. Didn’t Grandpa hate it when you cried? When you were a baby, you used to wrap him around your finger all the time. Grandma, too.” 

Amber nodded slowly. Grandma had passed away only a couple of years ago from a heart attack. It’d been sudden and she’d been alone at home at the time. Norman had spent Grandma’s funeral alternating between weeping and trying to cheer Amber up. “I wish Grandma got to see me become Hoenn Champion,” she mumbled.

“She did. From up there.” Pearl pointed up at the sky. “They’ll both be watching you. I bet Grandpa’s already distributing his ‘Amber Stan Club’ shirts to the heavenly spirits.” 

Despite herself, Amber started to giggle. Pearl picked her up for a cuddle, and they were still chuckling when Aunt Opal made her way back up the slope, bent over her umbrella. The hook-nosed old lady was dressed all in black for the funeral, which made her look like a large ambulatory bird. “So sorry about Norman,” she said, petting Amber on her head with her gnarled hand. “We had our differences, but never doubt that he loved you very much.” 

“Thanks for coming, Aunt Opal,” Amber said. “I hope the trip wasn’t too hard on you.” Latias had flown over to Galar to pick Opal up when she’d expressed interest in attending the funeral.

“It was comfortable for what it was. I had to see Norman off.” 

“Oh, and thanks for sending Kabu and Raihan over,” Amber said as an afterthought. “They were a huge help.” 

Opal chuckled, clasping her hands over the umbrella. “I did nothing of the sort, dearie.”

“But Kabu said you told him to come here to help me.” Amber blinked. 

“I don’t make it a habit to order people around, dear. Especially stubborn middle-aged men. With those—with men in general—you often just have to give them a little push now and then and they’d draw their own conclusions and do what you want. A word here, a gesture there, and magic.” Opal made a dismissive gesture. 

Amber scrunched up her nose as she thought this over. “I don’t get it,” she admitted. 

“You will when you’re older, dear. Speaking of which, when are you coming over to Galar to take over gym leadership from me, hm?” Opal asked. 

Amber mock-scowled at her. “Never. Besides, the Petalburg City mayor has sort of asked me about taking over Grandpa’s gym. I said ‘no’ to that too.”

“Oh?” Opal looked at Pearl curiously. “I thought you’d be all for that.” 

“I’m going to go back to school first. Graduate. Travel for a bit, just like you and Kabu and Mum. After that, I’ll see,” Amber said. 

Opal chuckled. “That’s a great idea.”

“Really?” Amber hadn’t expected support from this quarter. “Dad didn’t like the idea.” 

“Your father is a lawyer, dear. They tend to be very tedious people. Travel broadens the mind. Just don’t take too long about it. You’ll have to take over my gym before I die,” Opal said.

Amber glowered at her. “Never.”

Raihan

The _Silver Marlin_ was still under repair, but President Stone had ‘kindly’ authorised the free use of his personal yacht, the _Razorback_ , for anyone with ‘necessary travel’ to Galar. A way of saying thanks, perhaps. Or an apology. Raihan still privately thought Stone was a bit of an arse. He resolved to personally re-check revenue streams in Galar to see if he could reduce the percentage of corporate sponsorship.

There were tears and hugs at the docks as Amber and the others came to see them off. “I’ll visit Galar after I graduate,” Amber promised. She grinned cheekily. “Maybe I’ll challenge you then. And your Galarian Champion.”

“That’ll be a fun match,” Raihan said, amused. If Kabu hadn’t been in such a hurry to get back to ‘all the work I’ve got piling up’ in Galar, Raihan would’ve stayed in Hoenn for another week to shoot the breeze and have a match against Amber. The past week had been packed full of memorial services and events for Norman that Kabu and Raihan had felt obliged to attend. 

Amber’s dad shook everyone by the hand, wishing them well. Pearl was next, hugging Opal, then Kabu and Raihan. Latias and Latios hovered behind her, whistling and chirping. Raihan eyed them with regret. He’d handed over the Eon Flute right after the ugly business on the island. 

Pearl chuckled as she noticed. “You could ask Latias to go with you,” she said. 

“Nah. It isn’t right to split them up.” Raihan reached over to tickle Latias under its chin. He petted Latios next, stroking its feathery cheek. “Besides, you need them more. They won’t be doing much in Galar with me—I wouldn’t field them.” 

“Why not?” Amber asked.

“Eh, well,” Raihan said, folding his arms behind his head with a grin, “it wouldn’t be fair, would it?” He winked at Kabu, who sniffed. 

“Don’t look at me,” Opal said. “If I could only find a Chansey, I’d field it and its evolution in a shot.” 

“Chanseys and Blisseys aren’t even _fairy_ ,” Amber pointed out. 

“They’re a beautiful shade of pink,” Opal retorted, and started arguing with her niece through farewells and up the gangway. As they made their final goodbyes, waving off the small crowd at the dock, the sleek yacht let out a blast from its horn and started to pull away into the harbour. 

Opal eyed Raihan and Kabu thoughtfully. “I think it might be time for a few house rules. Or ship rules, as it were. Thankfully, we don’t have to share this ostentatious yacht with too many strangers, but it is a smaller ship, and we won’t be able to avoid each other very much.”

“What rules?” Kabu asked. 

“Well,” Opal said, pursing her lips, “I know it’s very modern and all, but I’d be obliged if the two of you kept any sort of hanky panky to yourselves. In your private quarters, ideally.” 

Kabu turned a strange shade of red even as Raihan started coughing. “I… we…” Raihan stammered. 

“Exactly, dear,” Opal said, patting Raihan on the arm. “But do have fun. You’ve both earned it. The press thinks so as well.” Cackling under her breath, Opal shuffled off to explore below decks. 

“The press?” Raihan said, puzzled. He brought up his Rotom phone, flicking through the local feeds. Most of the articles he could see involved Norman. There was that exclusive interview with the Hoenn Times that he’d promised Sammie. There were nice profiles in the papers about him and Kabu. Nothing out of the usual compared to Galar.

Kabu went very quiet and still as he looked at his phone. Abruptly turning on his heel, Kabu said, “I’m going jogging,” and strode off. 

Huh. Raihan leaned his elbows against the edge of the ship and accessed his social media accounts. He hadn’t been keeping tabs on them for a week, what with shuffling from one whirlwind interview to another with all the major Hoenn news organisations and magazines, in between attending memorial services. Raihan read through the first twenty mentions, nearly dropped his phone out of shock, and accessed a Galar-specific newsfeed. 

Then he called Leon. 

Leon was red-faced and laughing nervously when he answered. “Haha… Raihan…! Safe trip back, huh?” 

“ _Leon_ ,” Raihan snarled. “What the _hell_!” 

“Now, now, Raihan, don’t be mad, you asked me to cover for you,” Leon said, holding up his hands placatingly. 

“How is this covering for me?” Raihan stabbed a finger at the phone. “What were the most recent headlines on The Daily Galar, hm? ‘RED HOT HOENN ELOPEMENT’?” 

“Well um, the Daily Galar, that’s a tabloid—”

“Those weren’t even the worst headlines!” Raihan pinched at the bridge of his nose to calm down. A worse thought struck him. “Oh no. My mum. She must have seen all this.” 

“Ah haha well, as it turns out, she and your Dad kind of cornered me a day after you left and demanded to know why you weren’t around—”

“Couldn’t you just have said it was secret gym leader business and left it at that?” 

“I tried!” Leon wailed. “You know I’ve never been able to lie to your mum. Not well. Then your mum got my mum involved, and it was all over. I can’t face both our mums with a straight face and fib.” 

True. Growing up, Leon had been the absolute worst at getting them out of trouble. He cracked easily under pressure from mums. Raihan rubbed a hand slowly over his face. “What did you tell them?” 

“That you and Kabu were dating and that you both went on a holiday together but didn’t want the papers involved,” Leon confessed, his face twitching. “It was the best I could think up of on the spot!” 

“ _Leon_.” 

“It’s fine; your mum was totally like ‘Ohhh so that’s why he still has Kabu posters in his room’, and I was like, ‘I know, right?’ and your dad was all, ‘Well I always hoped he’d find a partner who’d bring more stability to his life’ and all that, so I thought it was all over and done with,” Leon muttered. “Turns out Hop heard it all from upstairs and casually mentioned it to his best friend from next door when they were at school the next day and the other kids overheard, and then your parents woke up to reporters camping at their door and. Even _Melony_ called me this morning fishing for gossip.” 

“Leon,” Raihan said, very seriously, “you are an absolute, fucking, amazing trash fire of a disaster friend.” 

“I know, I know. Is Kabu mad? I’ll talk to him.” 

“No. Just. No. And no more comments to the press, please,” Raihan said. 

“The stuff you did against that machine creature in Hoenn’s all over the more serious newspapers, if that helps,” Leon said. He looked uncomfortable. “Oh, and the memorial pieces about Norman and the Petalburg recovery efforts. I’m going to fight a charity exhibition match tomorrow against Gordie. We’ll be donating all the proceeds to the survivors. I think Bea and Nessa planned something too.” 

“Good to hear,” Raihan said. He talked to Leon for a while, signed off on Leon’s worried face, and watched Slateport recede into the far horizon. Only then did he head down to explore the ship. 

They’d all been given separate, luxurious cabins, but Raihan located the one with Kabu’s bag in it and plopped down on the bed, reading through Galarian newsfeeds with a sense of fascinated horror. He was trying to do some damage control on social media when Kabu returned, glanced at him, and went to have a shower without a word. Ouch. At least Raihan wasn’t being chased out of the room. 

Raihan propped himself up onto his elbows when the shower eased off. He’d apologise on Leon’s behalf and try to laugh it off, maybe. The script he prepared in his head derailed rapidly when Kabu emerged from the shower wearing only his narrow red and white towel. Kabu smiled as he climbed on the bed, straddling Raihan and pushing him down to kiss him with a low and hungry sound. 

“So you’re not mad,” Raihan said, stroking the damp muscle over Kabu’s back and openly ogling the way the towel was dropping lower over Kabu’s hips. 

“Should I be?” Kabu said, though he looked amused as he kissed Raihan again, this time with bite. Raihan purred, leaning into the kiss as he rolled on top, rubbing his swelling arousal against Kabu’s inner thigh. “Shoes and clothes,” Kabu murmured in between kisses, but didn’t bother helping as Raihan kicked off his shoes and struggled with his shirt. Kabu stroked Raihan’s cheeks with his thumbs and mouthed soft kisses over his jaw. “Are you clean?”

“Said I got into the habit.” Raihan had been hoping for some action over the last week, but the press rounds and memorials were harder on Kabu—he hadn’t the energy for much at the end of each long day but a shower and sleep. Raihan grinned cheekily, tracing his fingertips over the towel. “You know I’m never going to look at this the same way again.” 

“Good. Maybe it’ll give me a fighting chance during our next match.” Kabu pushed his thigh between Raihan’s legs and narrowed his eyes as Raihan made a show of rubbing the bulge in his boxers against it. 

“You’re just going to lose again,” Raihan said lightly, hiding his joyous smile by kissing Kabu on the throat, breathing him in with a shaky breath of relief that he couldn’t hide. “Mate, I’m so happy you aren’t completely ticked off.” 

Kabu tipped up Raihan’s chin, sober. “Given what we’ve survived, what we’ve done… it’s given me perspective. Life is too short for unnecessary complications. You’ve seen all that I’ve done, all that I am. If you still want what you want from me, nothing would make me happier than to give it to you.” 

“Being my boyfriend or getting married?” Raihan said, unable to help a mischievous wink. 

Kabu laughed instead of tensing up, swatting at his chin. “Don’t push your luck, boy.” This was Kabu with his regrets untwisted, with his guard let down, vulnerable in a way that Raihan had never seen him. Raihan kissed him, savouring the moment, swallowing it down and committing it to memory.

When Raihan’s boxers and Kabu’s towel joined the heap on the floor, Kabu spat onto his palm and grasped them both, squeezing lightly as Raihan groaned and thrust into his grip. “How about I do that while you get me prepped?” Raihan breathed hotly against Kabu’s ear. “Supplies are in my pouch.” Kabu nodded, grabbing for the belt strewn over the side table, nearly fumbling it in his haste. Raihan reared up onto his knees, straddling Kabu and curling his fingers around them. He rocked lazily into his grip as Kabu struggled with the cap on the lube, swearing under his breath. 

Raihan laughed, joyous. “Watch it, old man. You drop that, I don’t have more… do you want this as much as I do? Can’t wait to get you inside me, I’m going to ride you into next week, I—”

“By next week we should be back in Galar,” Kabu said, distracted as he fit a finger carefully into Raihan, “and I think it’s my turn to have a turn on this.” He closed his free hand over Raihan’s cock, tugging even as he pushed his finger in to the knuckle. 

Raihan struggled to breathe, letting out a strangled groan at the mental image of Kabu with his legs spread and his wrists pinned, or holding on to the headboard with his knees spread on the bed, red-faced with his hole stuffed full. Kabu laughed at whatever he saw on Raihan’s face. “Did I steal your tongue?” Kabu asked. 

“I think you broke me,” Raihan said, rocking down over Kabu’s fingers, growing breathless as he braced himself against the bed. “You’d better make good on what you said.” 

“Which part? Being your boyfriend or having you inside me?” Kabu said, breathlessly amused. 

“…Go on, give me a heart attack with my own words. Both, because I always push my luck,” Raihan said, impatient for more. Kabu merely chuckled, rolling a microfilm over his cock and taking his time to work Raihan open until he was satisfied—and likely longer yet, as Raihan swore and squirmed and begged him for more. More, even as Kabu let Raihan ease down over him, the stretch breathlessly thick and delicious. More, as Raihan clenched his hands into fists beside Kabu’s shoulders and took even the thick root of Kabu’s cock into his body, panting with the effort. More, as Kabu looked up at him tenderly as he settled over Kabu’s hips, as though Raihan was the centre of his universe. 

Raihan hissed as he tried to move, the stretch gritty enough still that it hurt. “Raihan,” Kabu said in reproach, though he rested his palms on Raihan’s hips and didn’t force Raihan to wait it out as he usually would. 

“I want to feel it,” Raihan said. The air felt thin in his lungs as he moved, throwing back his head with a groan. It seemed to take forever until his body took the flesh stretching him wide with less reluctance, and as Raihan let out a shaky laugh, Kabu shifted under him, changing the angle. Kabu had his lip caught in his teeth, his handsome face caught in a look of ferocious concentration, moving against Raihan until Raihan let out a yelp of pleasure. “Oh! _There_.” 

“Take what you need,” Kabu said, kneading Raihan’s arse. He leaned up onto an elbow for a better view as Raihan gripped the headboard for leverage. 

“Want to break the bed?” Raihan asked with a wink. 

“I doubt that’s physically possible,” Kabu said, which showed what he knew. Smirking, Raihan started to move. He didn’t bother starting slow, using his weight to drive himself over Kabu’s cock in sharp, savage snaps, until his thighs were shaking and he was panting and wrung out, still desperate for more. More, as Kabu thrust against him and moaned each time he got balls-deep. More, as the bed creaked alarmingly beneath them at the pace. More, as Kabu breathed in shallow gasps as though he was desperate for air, desperate for Raihan. More, as Kabu ground in with a hoarse shout of wordless pleasure and sank down, shakily stroking Raihan with quick tugs. More, as Kabu whispered, “Raihan, _Raihan_ ,” as though Raihan’s name was all he now knew. Raihan shook into release with a cry, thrusting into Kabu’s grip.

They curled together on the bed after cleaning up, Kabu yawning as Raihan plastered himself against Kabu’s back. “Were we going to have The Talk, or was that it?” Raihan asked. 

Kabu’s eyes were closed, but he frowned. “Talk about what?” he asked sleepily. 

“I don’t know? You said it in a Very Serious Kabu way.” 

“Hmm.”

“What do you mean ‘hmm’?” Raihan nipped Kabu on the shoulder. “Is that good or bad?” 

Kabu stifled another yawn, twisting in Raihan’s arms to snuggle closer. “I’m trying to remember why I was harbouring reservations over having a gorgeous young thing for a lover.” 

“Do tell,” Raihan said, nuzzling Kabu on the temple affectionately even as a thought occurred to him. “Speaking of which, now that we’re official, what are your thoughts on couple shirts?”

“Couple what?” Kabu glanced up at him. 

“You know, humorous matching shirts. Like so.” Raihan swiped his Rotom over and did a quick search, showing Kabu the screen. 

Kabu closed his eyes. “My doubts. They’re all coming back to me now.”

Kabu

Kabu jogged out of the Galar Mines with his Arcanine on his heels and slowed to a halt as he saw who was waiting for him at the exit. Maxie straightened up from where he’d been leaning against the archway, arms folded tightly over his red coat. “Training against water Pokémon, hm? You do so love your exercises in futility,” Maxie said.

Komainu growled, baring his teeth, grudgingly calming down only at a gesture from Kabu. “What do you want?” Kabu asked. 

“I should be asking you that. Why have you been looking for me?” Maxie shot back. 

Kabu started to speak and hesitated as a young trainer tumbled out of the tunnel, recognised him, squeaked, and sped off. “Walk with me,” Kabu said. Maxie’s lip curled, but he fell into step beside Kabu as they strolled away from the mines. 

“What did you want to talk about?” Maxie asked with a mocking bow. “More baseless accusations, perhaps?” 

Kabu curled his hands over the towel slung around his neck. “Why didn’t you deny them?” 

Maxie laughed, a harsh and bitter sound. “Would you have believed me?” 

“If you’d told me what had happened, I would’ve tried to help you,” Kabu said, glancing at Maxie. “Tried to help you repair your… Quality.” 

“Quality, affinity… that’s what galls me the most now. Not what happened to me, but that some annoying brat survivor from the village we razed made my nascent plans a reality. The symmetry is infuriatingly perfect.” 

“If it was, I would’ve been the one with my affinity destroyed.” 

Maxie sniffed. “I did hear that he tried. Hisao. Or whatever he’d become.” 

“Volcanion interrupted him before he did too much damage, I think. Did destroying the Mewking reverse what was done to you?” Kabu asked.

“I don’t know. I’ve been too afraid to find out. I’ve already lost my Mightyena.” Maxie let out another bitter laugh. “People would call this karma, I think. Delayed consequences.” 

“I don’t believe in that. If we find anything in the research that could help you, I will let you know.” 

“Save it. I’m done with all of this. Pokémon, you, everything. Don’t contact me again.” 

Kabu frowned at him. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that I’m going to find somewhere even more remote to retire, and I never want to see any of you again.” At Kabu’s silence, Maxie sneered. “Why, did you think we’d shake hands, forget the past, and be best friends again?” 

“No,” Kabu said quietly, “but I would’ve liked to try.” 

“Goodbye, Kabu,” Maxie said. He marched down the road, carefully bypassing the long grass. Kabu watched until he couldn’t make out Maxie’s red coat any longer and exhaled, leaning against his Arcanine and breathing in the scent of its mane. The Arcanine huffed softly, bracing Kabu’s weight and wagging its tail. They jogged back to Motostoke city in silence. 

Raihan was waiting for them at the entrance of Motostoke Gym, laughing with some fans and signing autographs. He brightened up as Kabu approached, striding over to try and sweep Kabu dramatically into his arms. Kabu ducked quickly out of reach and tucked a foot behind Raihan’s heel to trip him up as Raihan attempted to make a second grab for him. The fans laughed and took snaps as Raihan grinned cheekily at Kabu from where he lay prone on the floor. “Mate, you’re still too fast for me,” he said. 

“And you’re still ridiculous.” Kabu pulled Raihan up to his feet. 

Raihan started to make a joke, hesitated, and looked searchingly at him. “Did something happen?” he asked in a low tone. 

_Not here_ , Kabu nearly said. He bit back the words. What was the point? He didn’t have anything to hide any longer. Not where Raihan was concerned. “I ran into someone who was once an old friend.” 

Raihan raised his eyebrows. “Once? That’s a shame.” 

“So I thought,” Kabu said, heading through to the private locker room with Raihan in tow.

Raihan drew Kabu into his arms the moment they were alone. “Sure you’re OK?” he asked.

“I’m fine.” Life was too short for regrets. “What are you doing here so early? Dinner is at seven.” 

“My schedule finished early, so I thought I’d come here and ask you for a match. I’ve got a new team that I want to challenge Leon with, and I want to test out some combinations. With you, at least I'd give it a red-hot go.” Raihan bared sharp-pointed canines cheekily. 

“Now you’ve gotten me fired up,” Kabu said, completely deadpan. Raihan tensed up and stared at him for an incredulous moment; then he started to laugh.

“What happened to ‘don't bring back that part of me’?” 

“You’ve shown me that there’s nothing to be afraid of,” Kabu said. Not of anything in his past, and not anything in his future. Raihan grinned, leaning down for a kiss, sweet and soft, the imprint lingering even after Kabu pulled back. “Ready when you are.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> twitter: @manic_intent  
> my writing and prompt policy: manic-intent.tumblr.com


End file.
